Lonely Star
by Umbreon89
Summary: King Harold and Queen Lilian are hosting The Selection, but it's not any normal selection. Prince Kai and Julian, twins, must each choose a girl from the 50 girls who will be chosen. Lee Smith, an 18 year old Five, lives with her mother and her brother. When The Selection comes along, her mother forces her to sign up, but she won't really get picked, right? All characters are mine
1. The Storm

My brush flew over the canvas, carefully creating the waves of the girl's hair. "Lee, are you done yet?" I grinned and shouted, "I just finished!" I carefully put down my brush and assessed my work. I looked back and forth between my painting of the girl and the photo that was given to me. My painting was flawless. I was sure that Kaydee would love it. Since I'm a Five, I have to do an art. I chose painting, so people will give me pictures of them or loved ones and I will paint it. This particular one would help to boost my fame. Madeline, the teenage girl in the picture, is the daughter of Kaydee Miller, the famous model. If Kaydee was happy with this, then it could really help me out with my career.

My mother walked in and she gasped. "Oh, Lee, it's beautiful." My mother was a singer. She was never a good artist, so she decided to perform for Twos and Threes at parties. My mother gave me a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Lee." I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Thanks, mom." She smiled and walked out. She had a lot of work to do.

As I headed out the door with my painting, I heard my brother call out to me. "Hey, Xyliah!" I rolled my eyes and glanced at him. My brother is one year younger than me, making him 17. He's also the only one on the planet to call me Xyliah. Xyliah is my real name, but no one can pronounce it, so I go by Lee. It's pronounced ZY-lee-uh. "What is it, J?" His name is Jason, but I've always called him J. "You got a letter in the mail!" He has a smirk on his face, as if he already knows what's in the letter. I turned away and started walking down the street. "I'll open it when I get home!"

I stood in front of the Miller's door. I knocked firmly and stood back as I waiting for them to open the door. The door creaked open and I saw the face of Fiona Martin, the six who live down the block. She's the Miller's maid. I grin at her. "Hello, Fiona, how you doing?" She smiled and stepped back so I could come in. "Hello, Miss Smith, it's a pleasure to see you again, and I'm doing fine, thank you." I gave her a look. "Fiona, you can drop the formality, we've been friends since we were five!" Fiona gave me an apologetic smile before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Miss, but Lady Miller insists that I am always formal with any guest of hers, no matter who it is." I rolled my eyes. "Fine, then, should I wait here, Miss Martin?" I teased her. She suppressed a laugh before nodding. "Yes, Miss Smith, I'll go tell Lady Miller you've arrived." Fiona curtsied to me before running off. I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh. Fiona had been my best friend since we first met when we were five. I remember the day clearly.

_It was a dark, stormy night. It was one of the worst storms I'd ever seen. Thunder and Lightening were playing a never-ending game of tag. I ran through the streets, hugging my coat to my body. I was soaking wet, and I would be shivering all night. _

_A block before I reached my street, I heard a yell. "You worthless bitch!" I winced as I heard the smack that followed, and the cry of pain. "Get out of here, and don't come back!" I watched as a little girl was shoved out of her house. She collapsed on the pavement and started sobbing. _

"Ah, there you are. Good to see that the youth of today still value punctuality." I looked up, snapped out of my memories and right into the beautiful face of Kaydee Miller. I stood and and smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Miller. Here is your painting." I handed over the painting of Madeline. I watched nervously as she inspected it. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she grinned. "Thank you, love. This is beautiful. Here you go," She reached over and dropped the money into my hand. I pocketed it with a grin. "Thank you, Miss Miller." I turned around and walked back out. I passed by Fiona again. "Meet you in the treehouse at six." I quickly murmured before leaving the house. I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking home. My mind went back to the memory of when I first met Fiona.

_I ran to her. She couldn't have been much older than me. She had dark skin and short, black hair that framed her face. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked her quietly. She looked up at me, and by then I already knew the answer. There was a large red mark on her cheek. She opened her mouth to respond, but al that came out was another sob. "It's okay, come on, follow me." I reached out my hand and she took it. I heaved her to her feet and led her back to my house. I knew that my parents would never let her stay with us; we barely had enough for just us, but I didn't care. I couldn't just leave her there. "Listen, you have to be quiet. My parents won't let you stay with us so I'm going to have to hide you, okay?" I murmured to her quietly. She nodded and silenced her tears. _

When I got home, I immediately headed up to the treehouse. This treehouse has always been important to me. Well, both me and Fiona. This treehouse is what started it all…

_When I finally reached my house, I looked around. Where could I keep her? My eyes fell on the treehouse. _Bingo, _I thought_._ I was the only one that used it. My brother was afraid of heights, and my parents didn't go up there; they wanted Jason and I to have a place that was just ours. She would be safe there._

I smiled at the memory. That night was one of the worst and best nights of my life. I remember my fear as I ran through the streets. I was afraid; I had run out of the house to get away from my father. He had come home drunk, again, but in a very pissed off mood. I had run before he could get to me, and I was terrified of what he would do to me when I got back.

_One she was settled, I shrugged my coat off my arms and handed it to her. "I'm sorry that it's wet. I'll bring you some food in the morning, okay?" She just looked at me. Finally, the girl nodded. We looked at each other for a long time. "My name is Xyliah," I finally said, "my friends call me Lee." The girl smiled up at me. "My name is Fiona." I smiled at her, and she smiled back. We sat there for a long while, just smiling at each other "What happened?" I asked her softly. She looked down. "My father," she croaked out. I nodded my head; I understood what it was like. My father was always getting drunk. He wasted all of our money on alcohol, and then he would get angry about our lack of money. He accused me of being the reason they were so poor. He said that I was a waste of our food, but he never said any of that stuff to Jason, just me. No one else knew about it; dad kept it quiet. I often had to wear long sleeves in order to cover up the bruises. _

That was how we had bonded. Over our messed up fathers. She got lucky, though; it didn't last long. That night, her father had a heart attack and died. She was able to go back to her mother after that. I wasn't quite as lucky. My father didn't die until three years ago, when I was 15. He still hit me, and neither my mother nor Jason knew about it. To this day, they still have no idea what a monster he was, and I'm not going to be the one to taint their image of him.


	2. The Selection

I walked into the house and saw my mother and Jason sitting at the kitchen table with an envelope in his hand. "Is that for me?" I asked as I entered. He looked up and grinned. "Sure is, why don't you open it?" I approached him slowly, giving him a wary look, as I snatched the envelope out of the hands and carefully broke the seal. I unraveled the letter and that's when I realized why Jason was acting this way. I cleared my throat uneasily and began to read.

_To the House of Smith,_

_The recent census has confided that a single woman between the ages of sixteen and twenty currently resides in your home. We would like to make you aware of an upcoming opportunity to honor the great nation of Illéa. _

_Our beloved princes, Kai and Julian Fletcher, is coming of age this month. As they venture into this new part of their life, they hope to move forward with a partner, to marry a true Daughter of Illéa. If your eligible daughter, sister, or charge is interested in possibly becoming the bride of either Prince Kai or Prince Julian and the adored princess of Illéa, please fill out the enclosed form and return it to your local Province Service Office. One woman from each province will be drawn at random to meet the prince._

_Participants will be housed at the lovely Illéa Palace in Angeles for the duration of their stay. The families of each participant will be generously compensated for their service to the royal family._

_Because of the unusual circumstance of having two princes, The Selection will consist of 50 participants instead of the usual 35. The following provinces will have an extra name pulled._

_Allingale_

_Garthwood_

_Heatherville_

_Tigerborrow_

_Rosewood_

I couldn't help it; when I read Rosewood, I gasped and dropped the letter. Rosewood was my province. I had a better chance of getting in. I didn't even bother reading the rest of the letter.

My mother was ecstatic. "Oh, this is wonderful! Lee, pick up the form! You have to fill it out!" I grinned and reached for the form, but I hesitated. Despite my earlier excitement, I wasn't sure if this was what I wanted. "I-I don't know…" I murmured, bringing my hand back to my side. My mother stared at me with her mouth open. "_What?"_ She shrieked. I looked at her. "Mom…Prince Kai and Prince Julian are, you know…_Princes…_They're probably going to be all conceited and full of them selves because they've always been taught that they're important. That's not the kind of guy I want." My mom only glared at me. "Xyliah Oliver Smith," I silently groaned when I heard her say my full name. _Oh, shit, I'm not getting out of this one, _I thought. "You are going to fill out that form and bring it in." I stared at her. "I don't even _know _them!" My mother threw up her hands in frustration. "_Exactly!" _She shouted, "_You_. _Don't. Know. Them!" _She gave me a glare. "I've always been very proud of your character, Xyliah, but one thing I will not tolerate is you judging them before you actually get to know them." I searched my mind for more excuses. "B-but…" I stammered, but she interrupted me. "No _buts,_ Xyliah;Here, take the form," she practically shoved the form into my hands, "and fill it out. And I'm going to read it over to make sure everything is right!" I took the form and grumbled as I carried it to my room.

The questions were simple enough to answer. _What is you name? _Xyliah Smith. _How old are you? _18. _What caste are you in? _My stomach dropped. Of course; why wouldn't caste's matter? I would be willing to bet that they didn't accept anyone under either a Four or a Five. I sighed and looked back to the form. _What caste are you in? _Five.

I dutifully answered all of the other questions as honestly as possible. I filled in my contact information and my weight and height. I looked at the next box and rolled my eyes. _What is your hair, eye, and skin color? _I wanted to write, _Why the f*** does it matter? _But I restrained myself. I carefully filled in the information. _What is your hair color? _Dirty blonde. _Eye color? _Brown. _Skin color? _I grimaced. I was sure that they picked the girls for The Selection purposefully; I doubted that they actually had a raffle. Just the fact that they are asking for my skin color tells me that they pick and choose. But, my mother will insist that I fill this out, so I answer the question. _Skin color? _White.

I looked at the final question. _What are your skills? _I considered this for a moment; what _were _my skills? I wrote down the first and easiest thing to come up with, _painting. _After the first, it was easy. When I was done, I looked over the list.

_Painting_

_Drawing_

_Playing the violin_

I smiled at that one. When I was young and still trying to figure out what I wanted to do as a Five, I had to experiment. My mother started me with both playing the violin as well as drawing. I got very good at the violin. I was excellent, actually. In my opinion, I was better at the violin than I was at drawing, but my dad would not have it. I still remember when he forced me to quit it.

_I heard my mother call out to me. "Lee," I stopped playing my violin and looked up, towards my mother. She was on her way out the door. "I'll be back by midnight. I have to go to the Foreman's party to perform. Jason is at Alex's house." I smiled and nodded to her. "Okay, break a leg." And then she left. I picked up my bow and continued to practice my piece._

_It had only been about half an hour when I heard my father's door slam open. I couldn't help it; I flinched. The violin string made an awful noise and before I knew it my violin was out of my hands. I gasped and turned around. My father stood there, gripping the neck of my violin in one hand and an empty beer bottle in the other. "What do you think you're doing?" He grumbled, but he was drunk, so it sounded more like "Whtdythyurduing," but I got the message. I took a deep breath before answering, trying to calm my racing heart, but it was no use. "I-I was p-practicing, sir." I said, cringing each time I stuttered. His face twisted up in anger. "Well, not good enough! You're a failure, Smith." I cringed; he couldn't even say my name. "You will never get anything done, especially with this worthless piece of shit." He went as if to throw it, but it slipped from his hand. My hands shot out and I caught it. I carefully set it back in its case along with the bow before turning back to my father. "Sir, I need to learn to do something so I can work." I was proud of myself for not stuttering. _

_Before I could blink, his empty beer bottle was hurling towards my face. I jerked back, but not fast enough. It crashed and broke against my bare arm. I stumbled backwards and fell. My back fell onto the broken glade and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from yelling out. "Well, this isn't what you should be doing. Try drawing instead." He turned around and trudged back into his bedroom. "And clean up that glass!" He shouted. _

I shuttered at the memory. That day had been horrible. I had to clean up the mess and then clean up my cuts. Thankfully, nothing was seriously damaged, but I still had scars from the glass. When my mom came home that night, I told her that I wanted to pursue drawing, not the violin, so my mother taught me to paint to see what I would be best at. I had still kept my violin, though. It had been tucked away in my closet, and once my father had died, I had picked it up again and started practicing.

I shook away the memory and finished looking over the list.

_Painting_

_Drawing_

_Playing the violin_

_Spanish_

_Latin_

I smiled at my completed list. My mother had insisted that my brother and I learn Spanish. I was the one who had begged my mother endlessly to let me learn to speak Latin. I sighed and stood. I carefully pocketed my form before heading to the front door.

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**I really hope you guys are enjoying this so far! I've wanted to write this for a really long time :D Thanks for reading & remember to review!**


	3. The Report

**I realized that I forgot to give credit!**

**The Selection is a book by Kiera Cass. She owns the original storyline for the selection as well as the caste system.**

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As I approached the door, I bumped into a body. I jerked back and looked up into my mother's suspicious face. "Not so fast, Lee, hand over the form and let me read it over." I rolled my eyes and handed it over. She really didn't trust me.

After my mother read it over and decided that it fit her standards, she nodded and handed it back. "Alright, fine. Go hand that in to the Rosewood Service Office. Oh, I just _know _you'll make it!" I snatched the form back and headed out of the house.

I sighed and checked my watch. _5:13 PM. _I groaned. I'd been standing on line for half an hour already. I looked down the line and sighed. At least I was almost there. _Why did I agree to this? _I wondered. I mean, my mom _did _have a point; I don't _know _the Princes. They could be absolute gentlemen, or they could be assholes. They could be sweet and kind, or they could be gruff and mean. The only way to know is to get chosen for The Selection.

Finally, after another 15 minutes, it was my turn. "Form." I handed my form over to the man at the front. I could hear him quietly mumbling out the information on my form. I saw him raise his eyebrows when he read that I could speak two languages other than English. He snorted. "How in the world does a _Five _know both Spanish _and _Latin?" He mumbled, obviously trying to be quiet about it, but I still heard. I clenched my teeth and held my head high. The people behind me were watching. "The only thing that is determined by my caste is my profession. I still have the right to an education." The man just snorted again and shook his head.

Finally, after the man had read through the information on my sheet multiple times, and questioned me non-stop about my skills, he was finally done. "Go stand over there so I can take your picture." I tried and failed to keep the grin off my face as I did as he said. This only proved my previous point. There was no way that this wasn't rigged. "Smile," he said before the bright light flashed in my eyes. I forced myself not to blink.

When I finally got home, I didn't even bother going inside. I went straight to the treehouse. I checked my watch. _6:10 PM. _I groaned, _shit, _I was late. I told Fiona I would meet her in the treehouse at six.

When I entered the treehouse, I saw Fiona lounging against the wall with her eyes closed. I went over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Fiona," I said softly as her eyes burst open. She looked around for a moment in confusion, then she seemed to realize where she was. She looked back to me and grinned. "Ah, there you are. Good to see that the youth of today still value punctuality." She mocked. I rolled my eyes. She was repeating what Kaydee Miller had said to me when I gave her the painting. "Sorry, Miss Martin, I got my Selection letter in the mail and I had to bring it in." Fiona looked down at the mention of The Selection. "Hey, Fiona, what's wrong?" I asked. She shook her head. "I-It's nothing, Lee, really." I rolled my eyes. "Fiona," I repeated, "what's wrong?" She sighed. "Lee, it's just…I really want to get into The Selection," she said softly. I rose one of my eyebrows; it was a talent I had to teach myself to do, and I was very proud of it. "I-I don't see the problem there, Fiona." She sighed. "_Lee, _I'm a _Six_. They don't want a princess who's a _Six_." She looked up at me, and it wasn't until I saw the pain in her eyes that I truly understood how much this bothered her. "They don't want some lowly Six spoiling The Selection." I gave her a hug. "Fiona, it's a raffle. The castes don't matter. I mean, look at Queen Lilian!" Queen Lilian, married to King Harold, used to be a Seven. Fiona looked me in the eye. "Do-Do you really think that I…have a chance?" She whispered. I nodded my head. "I really do, Fiona."

After our talk, Fiona said she had to go home. She made up some excuse about needing to help her mother sew some clothing, but I could tell she was lying. She needed some time to think.

When I got inside, I headed straight for my room. I glanced longingly at my bed. The only thing I wanted to do right now was crawl into bed and sleep, but I had work to do. Julia Garcia had ordered a portrait of her family. I was really excited about this one. Since it was so big, it was more expensive, meaning my family would earn more money, but I was mostly excited because of the challenge it gave me. I was excited to see how well I could pull it off.

I set up my canvas and picked up my pencil. Whenever I painted, I always sketched it out in pencil first. I carefully sketched the outline of the family. I then moved on to the faces and bodies, adding small details. Lastly, I worked on the background, adding in all of the details. When I was done sketching, I carefully put down my pencil and looked. I checked the photograph I had been given. Was I missing anything? That's when I noticed something. I _did _miss something, but it was so easy to miss. In the top right corner, there was a bird flying. It looked as if it was trying to escape from the picture, but had just missed it, and was now forever caught in the web. I decided not to paint him onto the painting. I placed down the photo just in time to here my mother call me. "Lee, come here! The _Report_ is on!"

I came into the living room. Jason and my mother sat on the couch in front of the television. It was eight PM on Friday night, which meant the _Report_ was on.

I sat on the couch between my mother and Jason and closed my eyes as I listened to the national anthem play. When it stopped, I opened my eyes and watched. King Harold stood at a podium, ready to say the news, while Queen Lilian sat in her throne behind him. The thrones dedicated to Prince Kai and Prince Julian were empty tonight.

The King went on and on about war and politics. I wasn't interested in that stuff. I mean, there really was nothing I could do about it, so I tended to zone out on it. I knew the general gist, though. New Asia and Illéa were allies. New Germany and New Africa were allied against us. New England was neutral; they didn't want to get involved with the war. The King continued to talk about how he planned on getting New England to join our side. I snorted at that. _Good luck,_ I thought.

After the King was done, the Master of Events came out to the podium.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of Illéa. As you all know, notices to participate in the Selection were recently distributed in the mail. We have received the first count of submitted applications…"

I zoned out. I didn't care about what he had to say. I only wanted to see the interview with the princes.

Finally, the camera, swiveled over to the princes. They were sitting in two adjacent chairs. In between the two princes was Benny, the host of the _Report. _In the top left corner was a box with a live streaming of the King and Queen sitting in their thrones.

Benny cleared his throat. "So, pretty soon your house is going to be filled with 50 woman. How do you feel about that?" Prince Julian gave a charming smile. "I'm very excited to meet all of them, Benny. I've been waiting for this all of my life, and I'm sure I will not be disappointed." Julian flashed another charming smile. I immediately hated him. My eyes shifted to Prince Kai. He smiled at Benny, but I could see the nerves radiating off of him. He was very nervous, but only someone who was looking for it could see him discreetly wipe his palms onto his pants or clench his fingers. "As Julian said, Benny, it's going to be an exciting experience. I'm looking forward to it." Benny smiled and continued right on to his next question. "Have either of you asked your father for advice on how he managed all of the girls?" Both princes shook their head. Prince Kai opened his mouth to answer, but Prince Julian beat him to it. "No, Benny, we haven't been able to. The King has been very busy with the war and hasn't had much time to discuss strategy with us." Although he hid it well, I could see Prince Kai send a glare at his brother. "My final question is about how this Selection will work. Since there are two of you, how will you divide up the girls?" I leaned forward; this I actually wanted to know. For once, Prince Kai beat Prince Julian to the answer. "Well, you see, Benny, we're actually not going to split the girls up. We are going to share them. All 50 women will come in and they can only be sent away if both of use agree. One of us may dismiss a girl from our company. For example, if there was a girl Prince Julian no longer had interest in, he could dismiss her, and then that girl would be mine to deal with until I decide to let her go." Benny nodded, but he still seemed confused. "But what if both of you prefer the same girl?" He asked. "We cannot make our final choice until the other is ready, and if we both want the same girl, then we both must approach her and see who she wants to be with." Benny smiled and leaned back into his chair. "Well, that's all for tonight. Remember to tune in next week to hear us announce the chosen girls!" The screen turned black and the _Report _was over.

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**Soooooo...what do you think of the princes? I've tried to make it obvious as to who she prefers and what each prince's character is.**

**I made up my own plan for the whole war deal. I honestly haven't decided yet what exactly I want to do about the war. I have one idea, but it's not much. Give me some suggestions in the reviews!**

**I've also decided to keep the King and Queen as good people. Queen Lilian is going to be much like Queen Amberly, but King Harold is very different from King Clarkson (I think that was the kings name...).**

**Please remember to review and don't forget to click that follow button at the top ;D.**

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**Also, if anyone wants their name in the story, then put it in a review! I might use it for either one of the girls in the Selection or maybe on of Lee's maids (I'm not going to bother pretending that Lee isn't going to make it in...that would just be stupid.)**


	4. The Rules

**Thank you guys SO much for your reviews and awesome suggestions! It means a lot to me :D**

**Shout out to tosca00710, LauraaMachado, and Pretzel Poptarts for their great suggestions!**

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The next week passed by without much activity. My mother and Jason were going about life as usual, and I would pretend to not see the strange glances they'll send me sometimes, as if they're wondering if I truly have a chance.

Fiona was avoiding me. I had tried to get in touch with her many times, but she was always 'busy' or 'working,' and I was afraid that I was losing her.

So I spent all of my time on my painting. Whenever I had free time, you could find me sitting in my room in front of my canvas. I finished it on the Thursday before the _Report_, before my life was all turned around. I delivered the painting that day, but I held on to the picture. I normally threw out the pictures when I was done painting them, but I wanted to save this one.

Finally, it was Friday. I sat on the couch between Jason and Mom. When the anthem started playing, I realized for the first time that I was nervous. I didn't know why; I didn't even _want _to get picked for the Selection. Or…do I?

I shook the thought out of my head. _No,_ I thought, _you don't, so it doesn't matter if you get picked or not._

But I knew I was lying to myself. I couldn't help it; my heart was racing, my palms were sweating, and I just _had _to know if I had made it or not.

After what seemed like ages, Benny is introduced and he walks into the shot. Like last week, the princes sit in adjacent chairs with Benny in the middle. The King and Queen sit in their thrones in a shot in the top left corner of the screen.

Benny clears his throat. "So, your majesties, as you excited to see the girls who will be competing?"

Prince Julian is the first to answer. "Yes, Benny. This is a moment that Kai and I have been waiting for our entire lives."

Benny smile could only be described as radiant. "Well, then I wouldn't want to keep you waiting any longer." Benny cleared his throat, and I found myself leaning forward.

"Miss Luna Thomson of Waverly, Two." I gasped. Everyone knew Luna Thomson. She was in more films than I could count! Not only was she insanely talented, but she was also insanely beautiful. Her long blond hair and flawless face made her a huge hit with the men, and her icy blue eyes made her more than a little intimidating.

"Miss Nicole Hamul of Paloma, Four." A picture of a girl with short brown hair and piercing green eyes came up.

"Miss Xyliah Smith of Rosewood, Five." I gasped and, being the klutz I am, I fell forward, straight onto my face.

My mother was simply ecstatic. She was running around the room, talking on the phone with someone, but I ignored her. I looked for Jason, and that was when I noticed his odd behavior. He seemed to be just as excited and surprised as mom, but his surprise seemed…fake, or rehearsed, almost. It was strange, but I decided to ignore it. I was too happy.

Mom and Jason were being too loud for me to hear what they were saying, but I was able to see the pictures of everyone else. They all seemed to be very regal and beautiful, and it unnerved me. Is there _anyone _there who I could see as a potential friend?

I was able to get Jason and Mom to shut up just in time to see the final and 50th girl.

"Miss Sayde Darling of Carolina, Three." I stared at the picture that popped up. I hadn't been able to see the other ones, but at least I could see this one. Sayde had blonde hair that fell in loose waves to a little bellow her shoulders. Some pieces of her hair curled into ringlets. It reminded me of my hair. She was very fair with big, green eyes, and freckles that dotted her button nose. She had a petite, slim figure, much like my own. Even though we shared a few characteristics, she still looked very different from me. She looked nervous and shy. I grinned; I think I finally found my potential friend.

The next week was a blur. It was full of many different officials who were trying to prepare me for the Selection. A man came to measure me for my wardrobe. They even sent a woman to make sure I hadn't lied about anything on my application. Royal soldiers came to talk with our local soldiers and to prepare us in case of a 'rebel attack.' I rolled my eyes at that; there hadn't been a rebel attack anywhere in _years_.

On Wednesday, a man came to go over all of the rules with me. Mom, Jason, and I led him into the living room. I sat down on the couch in my usual place between my mother and Jason. The man sat in the chair beside the couch.

He cleared his throat. "Miss Smith, there are just a few rules that I must go over with you." He looked slightly uncomfortable. "I apologize for my bluntness, but as of last Friday, you are now officially considered property of Illéa. You are required to take care of your body." Yes, he definitely looked uncomfortable. "Throughout our talk, you are going to have to sign a few forms for me. If you fail to do so, you will be removed from the Selection. Do you understand?"

I stared at him. I did _not _like where he was going with this, or the whole 'official property of Illéa,' but I didn't have much of a choice, did I? "Yes, sir," I said.

"Wonderful," he beamed as he handed me a bottle of pills and a form. I eyed them warily.

"These are vitamins," he explained. "Since you are a Five, you don't have as much access to the necessary nutritions that some of the higher castes have. Take one of these vitamins every day."

I continued to stare at the pills. After a moment, I heard the man clear his throat. I looked up at him, and he gestured for the form. "You have to sign the form. It says that you have received the vitamins." I rolled my eyes and signed my name. I handed him the form back.

The man continued right on, not pausing to look over my signature. "I've read over your physical. You have excellent health, but I must ask, are you sleeping well."

I nodded my head. "Yes, sir, I have no trouble sleeping." Well, except for this past week, but who could blame me? It's been hectic.

If the man looked uncomfortable before, then I don't know how to describe how he looked now. He had to wipe his palms off on his pants and clear his throat before he could speak. "I know that what I'm about to ask you is personal, but it is very important." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I need to verify that you are still a virgin."

If I had been drinking anything, it would be all over the man by now. I gave him an incredulous look. "Why in the world do you need to know that?" I demanded.

The man looked down and scratched his neck. "Well, Miss," he started, but my mother interrupted him. "No, its fine. Lee, it's not that big of a deal." She sent me a glare that said _don't you dare get yourself disqualified now._

I rolled my eyes. "_Fine,_ fine. If you must know, I am, in fact, still a virgin."

The man looked at me, trying to see if I was lying. "A-Are you sure? If it is discovered that you are lying-"

I cut him off. "What? Do you not think that I would know if I've had sex with someone?" I demanded.

The man simply nodded. "Very well, then." His voice was still a little shaky, but it was getting stronger by the minute. He handed me another form, and I signed it without looking. I handed it back to him and he snatched it from my grip.

"Now I just have a few rules to go over with you." He seemed to be relaxing now that the hard part was over.

He cleared his throat. "First off, you are forbidden to leave the palace on your own. You may only leave if both Prince Kai and Prince Julian have dismissed you. No one else, not even King Harold or Queen Lilian, can force you to leave."

_Well, shit,_ I thought. _So even if I want to leave, both princes have to allow it?_

Before I could voice my question, the man went on. "Secondly, the Selection could go on for any amount of time. It could take days, weeks, months, or even years to be completed."

My eyes nearly bulged out of my skull. _Years? _But I stayed quiet; I just wanted the man to leave as soon as possible. So I clenched my jaw shut and stared at him as he listed the rest of his rules.

"You may not seek out either prince at any time. If they wish to see you, they will come for you."

"Although you may not get along with the other contestants, you are forbidden to physically harm them in any way. You are also forbidden to sabotage them."

"You may only be in a romantic relationship with the princes. You are not to be writing love notes home to someone here."

"You are not to break any of Illéa's laws. Being part of the Selection does not give you special permission to do whatever you please."

"You may only wear clothing or eat food that is provided by the palace."

"For every week that you stay in the Selection, your family will be compensated."

"If you make it into the top ten, you are part of the Elite."

"From this moment on, you are a Three."

I couldn't help it; I gasped at that one. _Three? _I try to imagine what I would do as a Three. I would want to be a scientist, but I don't have the education for one. I would probably end up as a librarian.

The man handed me two more slips of paper. One was my first check, or my compensation, for being part of the Selection. My mother snatched it up and opened it. The look on her face when she read the amount was priceless, and for once, I was sure that being part of the Selection was a good thing.

The second was a form that said I had heard all of the rules. I signed it and handed it back to the man.

The man stood up, and we stood with him. We accompanied him to the door.

Before he left, he paused. He turned around and looked at me uncomfortably. "If I may…there is something I must say that is only for Miss Smith's ears." My mother and Jason shared a glance before walking away.

I was immediately suspicious. What did this man have to say that my mother and Jason couldn't hear?

He seemed to squirm. "I'm sorry, Miss, but there is one more…thing I must go over with you." He refused to meet my gaze. He looked everywhere but at my face.

"Although this isn't exactly a rule…it would be wise to listen to this advice. If either prince were to…_ask _you for something, I highly suggest that you do not deny them of it."

It took me a moment to get it, but when I did, I nearly slapped him. "Are you serious?" I spat. "You just sat there are made me swear that I was still a virgin, and now you're suggesting that if either Prince Kai or Prince Julian asks me for _sex_, I am not allowed to say no?"

The man continued his squirming. "W-Well, I never said _not allowed,_ but-"

I cut him off. "But it's highly suggested that I do not deny them." I mocked. I sent one more nasty glance at the man. "Get out of here," I snapped. The man nodded and ran off.

I slammed the door and stomped into the house. My mother ran up to me, her expression filled with worry. "Lee, what's wrong?"

I shrugged her off and stomped past her. "Nothing," I grumbled, "I just want to be alone."

* * *

**I want to give a special shout out to Athenachild101! Sayde's character belongs to her. She sent in a complete bio of Sayde including looks and a backstory! I'm very excited to see her story come to life :3**

**Also, I know I'm asking this fairly late, but what do you guys think of the name Xyliah? I don't know why, but I came across it one day and I just loved it :3**

**Remember to review! If you have any names you want me to use, put them in your review and maybe I'll use them...I already have a bunch of names from people.**

**Also, I promise she'll be going into the castle in the next chapter! I know a lot of you have been saying how much you want her to just get to the castle!**


	5. Regret

**SO sorry guys! I've wanted to update but I was sick for two days and then I had a school trip (OMG it was AWESOME! We went on a boat and had a party and it was like a bar mitzvah but on a boat so yeah it was great) and I didn't get home until midnight so I couldn't update! But I'm home from school today (because I got home so late after the trip yesterday) and I was FINALLY able to get this chapter out!**

**I also started (and ****finished) _Cinder _by Marissa Meyer and realized a little belatedly that _Cinder _also has a Prince Kai (although his full name _is _Kaito) in it, so, whoops.**

**I really hope you enjoy this chapter. As promised, Lee gets to see the castle in this chapter! Enjoy ;D**

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When I stomped into my room, I just wanted a way to get all of my anger out. I headed for my canvas, but I noticed that my lucky paintbrush was missing. I groaned, loudly, and stomped into Jason's room.

"Jason, where the hell is my-" but he wasn't in here.

_Fantastic, _I thought as I searched his room, _absolutely fantastic. _I dug through his room, looking for my paintbrush. I finally found it in the back of his underwear drawer. "Aha!" I shouted, "Here it is!" I grabbed it, and that's when I saw something. Next to the paintbrush, I saw a glint of light. I pulled out the object and stared at it. It was a pin of an eight-pointed star. "Huh," I mumbled, "strange." I put it back and left.

I headed for my room and sat down at my canvas. I debated against what I should paint, and that's when I saw the picture. It was the picture from Julia Garcia, the one she asked me to paint. My eyes flew to the little bird in the corner, trying desperately to escape, and then I didn't see a bird; I saw myself. A little girl, trying so hard to escape from her demanding family. I knew what to draw. I picked up my pencil and delicately sketched the bird. The bird was small, so I only drew it in a small squared on the bottom right of my canvas.

When I was done sketching, I picked up my lucky paintbrush and started to paint. I wasn't even paying attention to what I was doing anymore. This was why I loved painting; I was able to forget the world around me, as if all there was only the painting and me.

After about an hour of painting, I was finally done. I stepped back and admired my work. The square wasn't large, so therefore the bird was fairly small. It was captured mid-flight, its wings cast out by its side. The bird was a bright, blinding white. It was small, but it was beautiful.

I carefully picked up the bird. I reached into my art supplies drawer and pulled out a scissor. I carefully cut around the edges of the bird. I didn't want the scenery, just the bird.

When I was done, the painting was even smaller than before. I tucked the bird away into my bag. I was only permitted to bring a few things, so the bag I was bringing was fairly small. In it, I only had my sketchbook, my pencils, and the bird.

My mother and Jason had each given me something to bring with me, too. My mother gave me a small wristlet. It was a simple beaded bracelet. The beads were light blue and I loved it. I had put it on my wrist the moment my mother had given it to me and I refused to take it off.

Jason had followed my mothers example and bought me jewelry. Since we're Fives, we can't really afford nice things, but Jason somehow scrapped together enough money to buy me a necklace. It was a simple gold chain with a small, golden locket. In the locket, there was room for two pictures, so I put in a picture of Jason and a picture of my mother. Like the bracelet, I would never take it off.

All too soon, it was Friday, and it was time to go. Everyone in the Selection had to wear the same clothing the first day, so I find myself standing in front of my mirror wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a flower in my hair. I glared at the rose that decorated my hair. _Maybe if I glare at it long enough, _I thought, _it will burst into flames and I won't have to wear it._ So I stood there, glaring at the flower, for a good 15 minutes before I realized that I couldn't make objects randomly combust just by staring at them. It was a sad realization.

An hour later, I found myself in front of a _huge _crowd. I recognized a lot of people from Rosewood, people who came to see me off. The upper castes were glaring at me. The lower castes were cheering me on.

I glanced to my right, where another girl was standing. Her name was Samantha. She was the other Rosewood candidate. She glanced over at me and saw me watching. Her eyes flared with anger and she whipped her head back to the front, ignoring me.

My heart ached; after two years, she was still mad at me. _I'm sorry, Sam! _I want to scream. I wanted to run up to her and hug her and tell her that I'm sorry for what I did; that I had been wrong. I had regretted it ever since it happened, but Sam was not the forgiving type. I clenched my eyes shut as I was transported back to that day.

_I skipped through the streets with my arm entwined with Sam's. She glanced over at me and grinned. We raced to the gazebo that sat in the center of town. We always loved to go there. It was peaceful, quiet, and relaxing, but mostly, Red lived next door to it._

Red was Sam's childhood crush. We didn't really know him well; we would just see him running around with his friends in his backyard.

We called him 'Johnny' for the longest time; I never knew why, but Sam thought the name Johnny was sexy, so I followed along. It wasn't until about a year of secretly admiring Johnny that he finally came over one day and introduced himself to us.

_"Hi," he said, "my name's Red."_

_I couldn't help it; I snorted. "Red? Your name is _Red_?"_

_Red glared at me. "Its short for Jared." _

_I shrugged, but Sam was practically drooling. "My name's Sam," she said, "and this is my friend Lee."_

I snapped back to reality as Andrew Grayson, the Rosewood mayor, approached the podium. "Citizens of Rosewood, I am here today to…" but I wasn't paying attention. My mind was still with Sam and Red on that fateful night two years ago.

After that first day, Red came by often. Whenever he came around, I had always assumed it was for Sam, not me. Sam was pretty; I was not. Sam had long, beautiful brown hair; I had limp hair that cut off at my shoulders that couldn't decide whether it should be blonde or brown, so it decided to be a mixture of the two. Her hair was straight and sexy, while mine was a mess; It curled into corkscrews and couldn't be brushed without getting it wet first, otherwise I would look like I walked around with a raccoon's nest on my head.

Even though Red and I didn't get off on the best of terms, we were able to get over that, and we became really good friends.

We had been friends with Red for almost two years. Sam and I were 16 and Red was 17. That was when it all went upside down.

Over the years, Sam's little crush on him had grown into what I called 'crazy-monkey-love' but Sam ignored my teasing. I always knew that Sam loved Red, but I never knew what I felt for Red until it was too late. Maybe if I had just figured it out and told Sam, we would still be friends.

"…with Lady Samantha Green and Lady Xyliah Smith!"

My head was zipped back to the present as the crowd started cheering. I looked around, still slightly disoriented. Sam was smiling and waving to her friends in the crowd.

I forced myself to look away from her and focus back on the crowd. My eyes scanned the crowd, searching for Fiona. I hadn't seen her since I was chosen. I should've talked to her sooner.

I finally spotted her. She was near the back of crowd. _Please, _I begged_, please look at me. Look at me so I'll know you're not angry. _And she listened. Her gaze met mine, and I knew that I had been wrong. Her gaze hardened when it met mine. Her eyes narrowed and she looked away. I looked away from her and forced myself to hold the tears for later. I ignored the crowd, refusing to look at them in fear that I would see Fiona again. I let myself venture back to the night when I betrayed my best friend.

One day, Red invited us over to his house. Sam agreed immediately, and I was more than happy to follow along.

_"This is my room," Red announced as we stepped through his doorway. The room was large; Red was a Three, so he was wealthier than us. Sam was a Four, but her family was still fairly poor._

_"It's nice," I said as I admired his room. It had blue wallpaper, and everything else seemed to follow the same theme. Everything was either a blue or a green or some other dark color. I liked it; blue was always my favorite color._

_"I'm going to go find a bathroom," Sam said. She turned and walked out of the room._

_As soon as we were alone, Red approached me. "Lee," he said, his voice suddenly low. He shifted around on his feet and scratched behind his neck. He seemed very nervous. "Lee," he said again as he approached me. _

_He grabbed my hands and drew small, lazy circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. "Lee, I-I like you…a lot. I have for a while. It's okay if you don't feel the same way, but I just wanted to-"_

_He never finished that sentence. I grabbed his head and pulled his lips down to mine. I kissed him like I never knew I wanted to, and after his initial shock died down, he kissed me back with just as much passion._

_All too soon, it was over. We stared at each other for a while. He had a goofy grin on his face._

We had decided not to tell anyone. His family wouldn't be happy knowing that he was pursuing a woman from a lower caste, and I couldn't tell Sam. She would've been so angry at me, and I couldn't bear that.

I forced my mind out of the memory. _No, _I scolded myself, _don't think about that. _

We said our goodbyes to our families and then we were driven to the airport. Sam and I sat all the way against the doors, each of us refusing to break the silence.

The ride took about two hours. In that time, I tried to hard to keep myself from thinking of that horrid night, but with Sam so close, it was impossible.

Red and I had been dating for three months before Sam found out. We had all agreed to meet in my treehouse and Red was the first to arrive.

_I heard the creak of the ladder which was my only indication that someone was coming. I watched as the hatch swung open and grinned when I saw Red's brown hair._

_He greeted me with a kiss. It was meant to be a short kiss, but I wanted more. I hadn't seen him in days, and I was being greedy. When he tried to pull away, I pulled him back to me, refusing to let go. He gave up on ending the kiss and kissed me back. _

_We stood there for a long time. We never stopped kissing. We were so distracted by each other that we didn't notice the creak of the ladder. _

_We heard a gasp and a shout and by then, it was too late. _

_We jumped apart and stared in horror at Sam, who was still on the ladder. Her mouth was open in shock and her eyes shone with hurt, but not for long. Almost immediately, her expression hardened, and she jumped off the ladder. _

_"Sam, wait!" I yelled after her. I jumped down, ignoring the sting when I landed, and ran after her._

_After I had chased her for a while, she finally stopped. _

_I stopped behind her. "Sam…" I said softly._

_"How long?" She croaked out. She cleared her throat. "How long has this been going on?"_

_By now, Red was at my side. I hung my head in shame. "Three months," I said softly. _

_I saw Sam stiffen. "I thought…" She croaked, her voice shaking. She cleared her throat and turned to us. _

I will never forget the look on Sam's face when she turned back to mouth was nothing but a small, pale line. Her nostrils were flared, but her eyes are the one thing that kept me from approaching her. Her eyes had been open wide, and the way she glared at me told me everything I needed to know; she hated me.

_She narrowed her eyes. "I thought you were my friend, but I guess I was wrong." _

_She didn't give me any time to say anything. She turned around and stormed off, and I let her. _

_Red tried to comfort me, but I jerked away from his touch. "No," I said softly, "we're done." _

_I don't remember what Red did after that; I only knew that I ran away as fast as I could._

Those were the last words any of us would ever say to each other. Sam never spoke to me again, even though I tried to speak to her, and I never spoke to Red again, even when he tried to talk to me. We had thought us to be inseparable. We thought that nothing could ever get between us. We were wrong.

We arrived at the airport last. There were two other girls here. I think their names were Nicole and Lina. They were nice enough. Nicole kept to herself; she said hi and introduced herself to us, but that was all. I didn't hear a peep from her after that. Lina was the exact opposite; she wouldn't shut up. She spent the entire plane ride blabbing her mouth off, but I wasn't paying attention. I was still stuck feeling sorry for myself.

We landed and were met by a large crowd. Not as large as the last one, but it was still fairly big. People were holding signs with people's names on them. I was pleasantly surprised to see my name on lots of signs. I was the only Five in the Selection, so the lower castes were rooting for me.

I was able to push away my sour mood just long enough to smile and wave at the people. I shook some hands and one little girl even asked for my autograph. I was polite and never ignored anyone as we made our way through, but finally one of the guards tapped me on the shoulder and told me it was time to go.

The car ride to the castle was very similar to the airplane ride. Nicole, Sam, and I were silent while Lina told some long story about the interesting encounter she once had with a duck.

When the castle came into view, I let out an audible gasp. "Oh, my…" I said softly, staring with wide eyes.

The castle truly was amazing. It was very large and absolutely breathtaking.

I never took my eyes off the castle until we were in it. By then it was already night time, and everyone else was in bed. Rosewood was one of the farthest provinces from the castle, so we were the last to arrive.

I was shown to my room and was greeted by three very hyper maids upon my entrance. "Oh, there you are, Miss!" one of the shouted. I turned to her. "My name is Amy, and this is Laura and Dawn."

Amy had wavy brown hair that stopped just above her shoulders. She had rich brown eyes which looked a lot like my own eyes.

My first impression of Laura was _Holy shit you're tall. _Laura towered above all of us. She had straight black hair that went down to her waist. Her eyes were a bright, piercing green.

Where Laura was tall, Dawn was short. She had a small, petite figure. She had golden hair that was cut right below her ears and curled slightly inward. Her eyes were icy blue.

I took them all in. "Hello," I said cautiously.

"Hello, Lady Xyliah!" They all chirped back. I was fairly surprised by the fact that they all said my name right. They must have been practicing.

I chuckled. "Please, forget any of that formality stuff. It makes me feel like an old woman." They giggled, but they shared a glance. They looked nervous.

"What shall we call you, Miss?" Dawn asked shyly.

I smiled at her. "Just call me Lee."

* * *

**Yes, I know, I quoted _Angelfire_, sue me!**

**This chapter is _really long_. I wouldn't have made it so long but I promised you guys that I would have her in the castle in this chapter. I'll probably get the next chapter out soon - I have a very boring weekend ahead of me, so I plan on spending a lot of time writing!**

**Also - if I am slow to update in the future, it may be because I'm thinking of starting a Mortal Instruments ****fic. I kind of want to wait until I'm done with this, but I don't know when I will finish it.**

**One more thing - don't think anything of the fact that Amy and Lee have the same eye color. It's just the fact that I based the Lee character's looks on me and the Amy character's looks on my mother so they have the same eyes.**

**Remember to review! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I'll try my best to answer all of them!**


	6. Interview with the Devil

**I'm so so SO sorry that I've taken so long to update. I know, I'm a terrible person. I've just been SO BUSY. I was sick and then I had to go on a long car ride and then I had a horse show and in order to prepare for the horse show i had to ride every day after school and then i had homework so i didn't have time to write and I've only been able to do a sentence now and then to this chapter and I had to redo it a bunch of times because i was unhappy with the results BUT ITS FINALLY HERE :D**

**Also, I have changed the rating of this story from T to M, mostly for precautionary reasons. I'm still unsure about where the line is between the two, and i really want to be able to curse as much as I want, so I will. I also don't know if I'm going to write Lemons or not...I'm still deciding.**

**Also, please be aware of the fact that from now on, I will not hesitate to curse or say anything. I have a foul mouth and it tends to show in my writing, so I'm sorry if you don't like that; that's just how I write**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass. I only own the characters (except for Sayde, who belongs to Athenachild101).**

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"Miss Xy- I mean Lee, wake up! You're going to be late!"

I groaned. "Jstnthrmnt" I mumbled, throwing the covers over my head to block out the light.

"But, Miss, you _have _to get up now! If you're late, you'll miss your first lesson with Mimi!"

"Nooooooo…" I groaned. "I just want to sleeeeeeeep." I grumbled.

I heard the girls giggle. "Please, Miss, we'll get in trouble if you're late!"

I sighed. "Fine," I sat up and pouted at them. They took one look at my hair and tried their hardest not to laugh. They failed.

Laura and Amy were practically falling over themselves with laughter, while Dawn was simply giggling hysterically and trying to keep Laura and Amy from falling over.

I sighed and got out of bed. My head pounded with a splitting headache, and the girl's giggles weren't doing much to help it. "Shhh…" I moan as I stumble into the bathroom.

After I've taken a quick shower, it was time to get dressed. By then, my headache was gone and I was more awake than before. I stepped into my room in nothing but a towel.

I took one look at the dress they tried to put me in before glaring at them. "Absolutely not," I said.

They just looked at me in confusion. "B-But…Lee, what's wrong with it? D-Did we do something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that, its just…" I started.

"But what, Lee?"

I sighed. "It's too…revealing."

We all looked at the dress. It was hanging on a mannequin beside my dresser. The girls didn't seem to see anything wrong with it, but there is no way in hell they were getting me in it. It was a bright, daring red. It was skin tight and the neckline cuts in a V-shape, doing its best to reveal as much of my chest as possible. Not to mention it was strapless, and I don't exactly have the boobs to keep it up.

Amy cleared her throat. "Well," she started, "we have some other dresses in your closet. Why don't you take a look and see if any of them are good enough for you."

Her voice was sharp and I could tell she was angry. "Amy…" I sighed. "Listen, it's nothing against you guys, its just that…well, first off, the very thought of wearing something that would reveal that much of me make me uncomfortable." I say, looking at all of them. "And secondly, I don't want to seem like a slut. I don't want everyone to think that I'm just another one of those girls that are willing to throw themselves at the Princes."

The nodded at me, but none of them are willing to break the silence.

Finally, Dawn spoke up. "Go look in your closet, Miss." She said softly.

I smiled at her and headed for the closet. I opened the doors and couldn't help but gasp.

It wasn't nearly full, but that wasn't the point. The few dresses that were in there were all made of the richest fabrics and the deepest colors. I ran my hands along the silky materials.

"These…these are beautiful." I said softly.

I took out the only blue one in there. I clutched my towel with one hand and the dress with the other and dashed into the bathroom.

When I emerged, I headed straight for the mirror. I smiled at my reflection.

The dress was simple. It was powder blue with tiny little sleeves that only barely covered my shoulder. The fabric seemed to flow off of my body. The waves of blue flowed off of me in layers. The dress came down directly below my knees. It was slightly longer in the back, which went down to directly above my heels.

I grinned. "This is beautiful," I said, turning to the girls behind me, "I love it."

Laura broke out in a grin and handed me some shoes. They were small, silver heels. The heel wasn't too gigantic, but it was just right. I wasn't going to argue with them about the heels; I was short, and I needed the added height.

I saw Amy starting to get the makeup out but I immediately stopped her. "Amy," I said softly, "please, put that away. I hate makeup."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "How are we supposed to get you to win when you won't wear anything?"

I grinned at her. "How about this," I said, finally caving, "if either of the Princes goes crazy and decides to make _me _their first date, I'll wear the red dress."

This seemed to please Amy. I wasn't worried about losing this bet; why in the world with the Prince want _me_?

I was the last one to arrive to breakfast. Apparently, my maids were right. I _had _missed my first lesson with Mimi, and judging by the glare she was sending my way, she was _not _happy.

Everyone was staring at me, including both Princes and the King and Queen. Embarrassed, I lowered myself to a curtsy. "M-My apologies, your highness." I stammered, not really sure as to what I should say. The King rolled his eyes and turned back towards his breakfast. The Queen gave me a small smile before following the King's lead. Finally, I look at the Princes.

Prince Julian had his eyes narrowed at me. Prince Kai had a hand in front of his mouth, trying his best not to laugh. I sent him a glare - I didn't care if he was the Prince or not; _no one _made fun of me.

"What's your name?" Prince Julian barked at me.

I did my best not to cross my arms and glare. Instead, I let my hands stay by my side as I looked him in the eye. "Lee, your majesty. My name is Lee."

He just glared at me. "Your real name," he snarled. "There is no one here named Lee."

I clenched my teeth. "My name is Xyliah." I tried again.

Prince Julian narrowed his eyes at me as I stood there. "Well?" He asked, "What are you waiting for? Go take your seat."

I nodded and walked to my seat with my head held high. I took my seat without a word. I looked around, surveying the crowd. My breathing hitched when I saw who sat beside me.

"Sam…" I whispered softly. She glared at me. "Don't," she snarled, "you had your chance, and you fucked up." She turned back to her food and started eating.

My eyes burned. I looked down and clenched my eyes shut. I forced myself not to move as tears silently fell down my face. I refused to let anyone know that I was crying. I would be strong. I thought about what Sam would've told me, if we were still friends. _Stay strong, Lee, _she would've said, _don't let them see how their words hurt you. _

Once the tears had stopped falling, I looked back up and noticed Prince Kai watching me with a concerned expression. I immediately looked away from him, looking towards his brother. I rolled my eyes as I took him in.

His body language told me everything I needed to know about him. He sat with his head held high and his back straight. He was good-looking, and by the way he grinned and winked at everyone, he knew it. He had his father's rich chocolate brown hair and dark blue eyes. He had a sharp jawline and was absolutely stunning. I sighed; why did all of the beautiful people have such ugly personalities?

I looked around the table. Most of the girls had abandoned their food in order to stare at the Princes. Most of them swooned over Kai; probably because he was the heir to the throne, but I noticed one particular girl who had her eyes glued to Julian. I recognized her immediately; it was Sayde Darling. She was a Three, if I remembered correctly. She was watching Julian with a look of longing. I sighed; how could she not see through his bullshit?

Suddenly, Prince Kai and Prince Julian stood. The dining hall fell silent.

Prince Kai cleared his throat. "It seems that everyone has finished their meal. We will now be migrating into the living room, where one-by-one Julian and I will interview each of you." Prince Kai turned to leave. Prince Julian followed him.

Mimi stood from her seat and gestured for us to stand as well. We followed them all out of the dining room and into the room that I assumed was a living room. My eyes greedily took in every detail. My fingers itched to draw it. This room was absolutely breathtaking. I finally ripped my gaze away from the decorations when Prince Kai cleared his throat.

"Please," he said with a charming smile, "make yourself at home. You will be living with these girls for a while, so you should get to know them. The order in which we interview you is completely random. Once you've been interviewed by both of us, please head into the Women's Room. Ask a guard to escort you there."

Prince Kai turned to talk to Prince Julian. I looked away and continued my previous admiration of the room.

"Excuse me. Your name was Xyliah, correct?"

I turned around and saw Prince Julian standing right behind me. He had a charming smile on his face, and I almost forgot about how arrogant he was, _almost. _

I put on a bright smile and nodded. "Yes," I began, trying my best not to fuck up, "that would be me."

Prince Julian offered me his arm. I glanced at it, and for a moment I froze. I did not want to take his arm. I did not want to walk around on someone's arm to be shown off. Prince Julian seemed to notice my hesitation because he clenched his jaw and grabbed my arm. He escorted me out, and on the way, I noticed Prince Kai watching us leave.

He led me to an adjacent room that only had two chairs. Prince Julian sat down in one of them and gestured for me to sit in the other. I sat down and crossed my legs, trying not to flash Prince Julian. _This is why I hate dresses,_ I though to myself.

He cleared his throat. "Well, you know who I am. Am I pronouncing your name right, Xyliah?" He asked.

I nodded my head. "Yes, Prince Julian, although I prefer to be called Lee."

Prince Julian doesn't seem to hear the second part of my statement. He reclined in his chair the moment he heard he was right and plastered a charming smile on his face.

"Well, Xyliah, tell me about yourself."

I clenched my jaw. The _last _thing I wanted to do was sit here and talk to this conceited jerk when I knew he wasn't really listening to me, but I pushed down my disgust and cleared my throat.

"Well, I live in Rosewood with my mother and my brother, Jason. We're Fives," I added, only because I knew if I didn't say it, he'd ask. He raised his eyebrows at this. I was one of only three Fives in the Selection this year.

He gestured for me to continue, so I did.

"I paint and draw as a Five. I really enjoy it. I spend most of my free time either drawing or playing and instrument or hanging out with my friends."

Prince Julian nodded along with my story. "Interesting," he muttered, and I did my best not to roll my eyes.

He cleared his throat and sat up. "Well, Xyliah, that will be all for today. It was a pleasure meeting you."

We both stood. Prince Julian went to offer me his arm before he remembered my previous rejection and pulled it back. He turned to the exit and walked out. I followed him back into the living room.

* * *

**Alright, so what do you think? I'll have her interview with Kai in the next chapter :D**

**I'm currently working on a list of every single person who is in the Selection and I'm realizing that it's not an easy task to come up with 50 names and then castes and provinces to go with those names, so if anyone feels like helping me out, go ahead and post just some names of characters and their caste and province. Thanks :3**

**Also, I'm still deciding about whether I want the King to be bad or not. I know that I want the Queen to be like Queen Amberly. The King i'm not so sure about. Right now, I'm playing him as a very serious man who disapproves of Kai and wants Julian to be the heir but he can't do that because it goes against laws or whatever...idk, tell me what you think. **

**Also, I want to know about your opinions on Sam. She wasn't originally going to be in this story, but when I wrote that chapter, it just kind of came out. That's what happens with most everything in my writing; I don't have an outline, I just write. So anyway, tell me what you think of Sam. Tell me your predictions about her and her past and such.**

**Till next time!**

**~Umbreon89**


	7. The Devil's Hot Twin Brother

**Thanks for all the great reviews :3**

**Sadly, this chapter is also pretty short. It was supposed to be the second half of the previous chapter, so it's going to be shorter. Sorry.**

**Thanks to Pretzel Poptarts who brought to my attention that I didn't tell you whether Kai and Julian were identical or fraternal twins. They're fraternal. You hear more about Kai's appearance in this chapter.**

**Also, just an update on the change of rating: I mostly changed it to M just to be careful. I don't know what I have planned for future chapters, and I felt that if I was going to include older material, I should warn you sooner. Although I am not _planning _on including Lemons, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be...suggesting what will happen between Lee and whoever she chooses. **

**I also wanted to change it to M because of the cursing. I know that there is a lot of cursing in T-rated Fics, but I just wanted to play it safe.****  
**

**Now, with all that said, please enjoy this next chapter :3**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass, but the characters are MINE (except for Sayde, who belongs to Athenachild101).**

* * *

The minute I re-entered the living room, I turned and walked as far away from Prince Julian as I could get. I find myself leaning against the back wall.

"You must be pleased."

I jumped at the quiet voice. I turned to my left to see none other than Sayde.

I looked at her, confused. "Why would I be pleased?" I asked.

She only smiled sadly. "Well, Prince Julian chose you for his first interview." I could hear an edge of envy to her voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry about competition from me," I laughed, "you can have him."

She seemed surprised. "Why's that?" She asked.

I chuckled. "He acts exactly how I thought he would act, all arrogant and conceited."

For a moment, I swore I saw something flash in her eyes. It looked like…regret, maybe? But as fast as it had appeared, it changed into a deep anger.

"You just don't know him," she practically snarled. "He's been hurt before. He puts up layers and layers of different personalities, and you have to be strong enough to see through them if you want to-"

She seemed to notice that she had started rambling, because she shut her mouth and turned away from me, obviously embarrassed.

"Sayde," I said softly, but she only turned farther away from me and walked off.

I groaned as I tilted my head back with a sigh. "Congratulations, Lee," I muttered, "you've managed to piss off one of the only people who actually seems friendly here."

I stood there for a long time. Not once did I move, even as I heard other people pass by my. I could feel their curious glances as they passed me, but I didn't care. I just wanted to meet Prince Kai, so that way I would know whether it was even worth staying here.

After what felt like an hour, I felt a tap on my shoulder. My eyes flew open, and the first thing I noticed was the dazzling blue eyes of Prince Kai.

I jerked backwards, only to bang my head against the wall. I cringed as I rubbed the sore spot on my head.

Prince Kai seemed to be trying not to laugh. "Sorry about that," he chuckled.

I looked around the room. Prince Kai and I were the only ones left. "I'm the last of them?" I asked.

Prince Kai scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah," he said slowly, "sorry about that. You seemed angry after you talked to my brother, so I wanted to give you some time to blow off steam."

He gestured for me to sit on one of the couches. "Sit down," he said softly. "There's no point in going somewhere else; we're the only ones here."

I bite my tongue to keep myself from saying my catchphrase, _that's what the government wants you to think. _For some reason, I didn't think it would be very appropriate in this situation.

I sat down on one of the couches. Prince Kai paused for a moment, looking back and forth between the seat next to me and the one across from me, before he took his seat next to me. I immediately stiffened, and he seemed to notice it, because he kept his distance.

"So," he cleared his throat, "you're Xyliah Smith, correct?"

I smiled at him. "Yes, but I prefer to go by Lee."

This seemed to puzzle him. "Why?" He asked. "Xyliah is a beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl. It's fitting, isn't it?"

I blush as I realize what he had said. No one had ever called me beautiful before. Sure, Red had called me pretty, and my mother has called me beautiful countless times, but she doesn't count, she's my mother, but coming from Prince Kai, a complete stranger, it means everything.

"Thank you," I said softly, "but it isn't true."

Prince Kai looked me in the eyes as he spoke. "Everyone is beautiful in their own way. All of the other girls in this room were wearing dresses and heavy make-up and had their hair up all fancy so they would pop out, but what they don't realize is that only makes them blend in. You stand here wearing a simple dress and no make-up, and that is what makes you unique and beautiful."

I couldn't help it; my eyes started tearing up.

Prince Kai's face fell as he noticed my tears. "Oh, god, please don't cry!" He begged. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I often say things without thinking them through and my father is always telling me that it will get me into a lot of trouble one day and I-" He stopped when he noticed that I was no longer crying, but laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asked, which only made me crack up more.

"Sorry, I'm sorry," I said, still chuckling, "I just find it funny that you immediately think that you messed up."

He blinks at me. "I didn't?" He asked, which only made me explode into laughter again.

"No," I said, still laughing, "you didn't."

I was suddenly very serious as I looked at him. "Prince Kai, no one has ever called me beautiful before, and certainly no one has ever thought that not wearing make-up and pretty, frilly, girly clothes makes me prettier. People have only ever told me that I should want big frilly dresses and nice make-up, but I don't. I hate it, and everyone judges me because of it." I looked down at my hands. "You're the first person who has ever thought that it makes me better."

He didn't say a word. Finally, I looked back up at him, and his eyes caught my gaze. We stared at each other, neither of us willing to break our gaze. I took this opportunity to take him in.

He was as handsome as his brother, if not more. His eyes were a brilliant aqua blue and his hair was golden. He was everything that his brother was not. Julian sat stiffly with his back straight; Kai reclined in his seat and always seemed to be relaxed. Julian had features so sharp you could cut yourself, while Kai was all soft. Julian's hair was always neat and kept short; Kai's hair was longer than his brother's and always seemed to be messy.

After what seemed like years, Prince Kai finally looked away. He cleared his throat and stood.

"Well," he started, "this was truly a pleasure. I enjoyed speaking with you, Xy-Lee," he corrected himself.

I stood up beside him and he grinned at me. "Miss Lee, may I see you later?"

I just blinked at him, trying to understand what he was asking. "Are-Are you asking me on a date?" I asked bluntly.

To my surprise, Prince Kai blushed-just a little, but I noticed. "Yes, I guess I am."

I stared at him for a moment before my face broke out in a grin. "I would love that, your highness."

He grinned at me and offered me his arm. "I may as well show you to the women's room." He said.

I stiffened and glanced at his arm. Even though I like Prince Kai much better than Prince Julian, I still did not wish to be showed off like a trophy on a man's arm.

Like Prince Julian had, Prince Kai seemed to notice my discomfort, because he quickly lowered his arm. He quickly walked out the door, and I followed behind him. I could see that I had hurt him, and I wanted him to know that it wasn't his fault.

"Prince Kai?" I said quietly, right before we arrived at the women's room.

He turned to me and stood stiffly. "Yes?" He asked.

I cleared my throat. "I-I didn't mean to offend you when I didn't take you arm," I said slowly, "I just…don't want to seem like someone's trophy." I told him.

That had always been one of my greatest fears: that no one would remember me for who I was, but only for the man whose arm held mine. I shared this with Prince Kai, and thankfully, he seemed to understand.

I could see his body language soften the moment I was done explaining. He grinned at me.

"Well, I sure am glad about that."

He looked at me for a moment before his face broke into a grin. "You know," he said slowly, "you're quite a character. I've never met someone quite like you before."

I held my head high and stared into his eyes. "And you never will." And with that parting line, I turned on my heels and walked into the women's room.

* * *

**So what did you guys think?**

**I know that I was being a little repetitive with the whole "I don't want to be anyone's trophy" thing, but I didn't know how else to say it. I'm not a professional writer; this is FanFiction, so bare with me.**

**What do you guys think of Sayde? (Especially Athenachild101)**

**How about Kai? I know it might seem a little early for him to be speaking so easily to her, but that's part of his character. I wanted Kai to be the sort of person who just doesn't have a filter. It's not so bad that he says rude things all the time, it's mostly that he doesn't understand the difference between a conversation with a friend and a conversation with someone you just met. It's all the same.**

**Please remember to review :3 Seeing all of the people who are begging me for more chapters motivates me to provide you with more chapters :D**

**~Umbreon89**


	8. The Promise

**I'm back! **

**I hope you all like this chapter :3 I had a lot of fun writing it. **

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass. The characters all came from my lovely brain :3**

***cough cough***

***grumbles* fine, Athenachild101 owns Sayde...**

* * *

As soon as I walked in, I noticed something was odd. All of the girls were in groups, whispering rapidly to each other.

I looked around until I saw Sayde. She was leaning against the wall in the back, out of sight. I dashed up to her.

"Sayde," I whispered, "what's going on?"

She groggily opened her eyes. "Oh, it's nothing really. Julian dismissed a bunch of girls. 15, I think, to be exact."

It startled me that she would us Prince Julian's name so casually. She didn't call him 'Prince Julian' or anything like that. _It's probably_ _nothing,_ I thought.

"They're really upset about it," she continued, "and everyone's wondering what Prince Kai will do about it."

I looked around the room. That's when I noticed Prince Kai and Prince Julian. They were towards the front of the room. Prince Kai seemed furious,while Prince Julian pretty much ignored him.

I turned back to Sayde. "Why did he dismiss to many people?"

Sayde shrugged. "He probably wasn't impressed by them. That's the kind of person he is. If someone doesn't immediately stand out to him, he ignores them."

I gave her a confused look. "How would you know that? We only just met him."

For a moment, I could swear I saw her freeze, and saw a flash of something in her eye, but it was gone before I could read it. "Oh, I'm very good at reading people." She said.

I nodded, but I wasn't totally sure. I leaned back on the wall beside her. "Who got dismissed?" I asked.

"Both of the other Fives, six of the Fours, and seven of the Threes got dismissed." She said.

I froze. The other Fives were gone? I wiped my sweaty palms off on my dress. _If they're already gone, _I thought, _then how long do I have? _

Then I realized something. _Six _of the Fours were gone. _Where's Sam? _I thought. _Was she dismissed already? _I looked around the room frantically. _Where was she?_My heart sank as I realized that she wasn't here. _You shouldn't care, _I thought bitterly, _she wouldn't care if it were you. _But I brushed it off; I was counting on this Selection to bring us closer. I couldn't let Prince Julian ruin that.

"I'll be right back, Sayde." I said before dashing out of the room.

As I exited the women's room, I skidded to a stop. I let out a frustrating growl as I looked around. There were so many hallways and doors, how would I ever find out where Sam went?

"Lee?"

I turned and saw Prince Kai standing near the front entrance to the women's room. He was leaning against the wall, but now he started coming towards me.

"Lee, what are you doing?" He asked.

I groaned; I did _not _feel like explaining myself.

"I'm looking for my frie - for someone." I stammered. _She's not your friend anymore, Lee. _I growled internally. _Shut up!_

Prince Kai raised his eyebrows at my little correction, but he didn't say anything. "What's her name?" He asked.

"Sam. Samantha Green. She's a Four. I think…I think she might've been dismissed." I said, my eyes scanning the halls, as if this will somehow help me find Sam.

Prince Kai sighed. "Yes, there were quite a few people dismissed. Samantha Green was one of them." Prince Kai seemed agitated about this.

"Prince Kai," I started, "what will happen to the girls who have been dismissed?" I asked.

"Well, nothing, really, except that they're not permitted to speak to Prince Julian. Well," he corrected himself, "I guess I shouldn't say that. They can speak to him, but they're not permitted to engage in a conversation. Prince Julian is not allowed to pursue them anymore. Only I can now, and if I decide to dismiss any of them, they must leave."

I sighed and leaned back against the wall. "This is so fu - flipping confusing."

I silently cursed myself. _STOP TRYING TO CURSE! _I scolded myself. _Fuck off, _I replied, _I'll do whatever I want._

Prince Kai didn't scold me or punish me or anything; instead, he laughed. I gave him a confused look.

"What?" I asked defensively, which only made him laugh harder.

"Oh, you continue to surprise me, Lady Lee." He chuckled.

I bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He just laughed even harder, which only made me more frustrated. He saw that I was getting angry, so he stopped laughing and chuckled.

"Well, everyone else here is doing their best to be a lady and to act mature, but you're talking to me as if you were talking to an Eight." He shrugged. "I find it amusing."

I rolled my eyes. "I hate people who try to act differently to attract a boy. If I want a boy to love me, then I want them to love me for _me, _not for some persona that I've created."

Prince Kai raised an eyebrow. "So you want me to love you, is that what you're saying?"

Heat rose into my cheeks. I cleared my throat.

"N-No, that's" but he was just laughing.

I narrowed my eyes at him and tried again.

"What I _meant," _I said, glaring at him, "is that I want people to like me for _me. _If someone decides to be my friend, I want it to be because they like my personality."

Prince Kai stared at me for a moment before his face broke out into a grin.

"Well, why don't we make ourselves a promise." He suggested, standing up straight.

I stood up aswell. "What promise?"

He smirked. "We shall both promise never to love someone just because of their appearances, and we shall ensure that they too love us because of who we are."

He stuck out his hand and waited for me to do the same. I grinned up at him and placed my palm in his. He looked me in the eyes as he spoke.

"I, Kai Fletcher, hereby promise never to love a woman unless I am sure that our love is true."

He looked at me expectantly. I cleared my throat.

"I, Xyliah Smith, hereby promise never to love a man unless I am sure that our love is true." I recited.

We shook on it, and Kai pulled his hand away. He grinned at me.

"Well, you should probably go looking for your friend now. I think I saw her head to the left into the first room on the right. Good luck," he added, and I grinned at him before racing off.

"Oh, and Lee?"

I turned back to him and he grinned at me. "Don't forget about our date tonight."

I saluted him before turning and running in Sam's direction. I could hear Kai's chuckle behind me, and it made me grin. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach starting to calm down. _Oh my god, Lee, I like him! _I shook my head. _No! Impossible, there's no way. And even if I did, why would Prince Kai ever love me?_

I followed Kai's intructions. I took a left and approached the first door on the right. I knocked quietly before turning the handle and walking in.

The sight before me broke my heart. Sam was sitting there, on the floor, curled up into a ball. There was mascara cascading down her face, and her eyes were all read and puffy.

"Go away, Lee," she said, but not with much force. Her voice was scratchy, and it was obvious she's been crying.

So instead of following her orders and leaving her there, and kneeled down next to her and gave her a hug. She froze for only a second before throwing her arms around me and sobbing. I rested my head on her shoulder as silent tears fell down my face. _I'm sorry, Sam, _I thought as I cried away the rest of my worries, _I'm sorry that I betrayed you, but I promise that I will never leave your side again._

After a solid 10 minutes of crying, Sam pulled back and wiped her face with the back of her hand. She looked at me warily.

"Lee…" she said softly, "why are you here?"

My eyes traveled all around her face. I hadn't been able to get a good look at her in two years, so I made up for it now.

She looked pretty much the same way she had two years ago, except for the fact that her features were a little more defined, but that was it.

It was then that I realized I hadn't answered her question. I cleared my throat.

"I heard what happened with Prince Julian. They said that only three of the Fours were still remaining, and I didn't see you, so I assumed that he had…" I trailed off. I didn't need to finish the sentence.

Sam held her head high. Even though she had just spent ten minutes crying into my shoulder, and her face held the evidence of that, she would still stand strong.

She snorted. "Who cares if Prince Julian dismissed me? He's an asshole. There's always Prince Kai, anyway."

I chuckled at her comment on Prince Julian. "Yeah, Prince Julian sure is something. I don't know why anyone would want him."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Because they're greedy bastards. They don't want love; they want the crown. They want the riches and the fame, not the love of their life."

I nodded. Sam's words reminded me of my promise to Kai. "At least you don't have to worry about Prince Julian. He seems like the kind of guy who would…take advantage of situations." I said akwardly.

I had always been a little akward when it came to conversations about…_sex. _I couldn't help it; I just felt wierd talking about it, so I normally just left…hints.

Sam gave me a look. "What makes you think Prince Kai isn't?" She asked.

I shook my head firmly. "No. Prince Kai is better than that. I know it."

Sam heard the finality in my tone and knew it was best not to argue with be. There would be no way to convince me otherwise.

Sam stood up, and I followed her example. I followed her to the door. We walked together back to the women's room, only to find everyone gone.

"They went back to their rooms," said a guard.

We nodded to him and thanked him before heading off.

We would pass by Sam's room first.

When we got to her door, she opened it and walked in. I stopped her before she could close the door.

"Sam," I said softly.

She froze in place, refusing to turn to look at me.

I cleared my throat. "Sam," I continued, "are we…are we good again?"

Sam paused before she spoke. "No," she said softly, and I felt my heart sink.

"But…it's getting there."

And with that parting line, the door slammed shut.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? :3**

**Also, I just want you all to understand something. A lot of you have been reviewing and saying how Sam is such a bitch and you hate her, but she really isn't. Lee kept a big secret from Sam, and Sam is not someone to forgive and forget. Lee is in the wrong here.**

**Sam is one of my favorite characters in this story, and I want you guys to love her as much as I do.**

**Be back soon! **

**~Umbreon89**


	9. Would you rather?

**I just want to start out by saying, thank you sooooo much! This story is already over 1,000 views! Thank you guys so much!**

**And secondly, Athenachild101 asked me a very good question. She asked me why Kai and Julian's last name is Fletcher, and not Schreave. That's because I didn't want these characters to have anything to do with those characters. I wanted it to be a completely different world, with different people and a different story. **

**Once again, this chapter went no where that I expected it to go. **

**As you read, keep a look out for a reference to _Cursed _by S.J. West. It's small, but you might see it.**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass. The characters are MINE. **

**Sayde belongs to Athenachild101**

**P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZU! (Today, June 10th, is Zu's birthday. Zu is a character in _The Darkest Minds _by Alexandra Bracken. If you haven't read that book, there's something wrong with you and you have to read it now.)**

* * *

I winced as Amy ran her brush through my hair again. She had argued that because of our agreement, she could do whatever she wanted to my appearance for my date with Kai, and apparently, that included blowing out my curly hair until it was stick-straight.

I winced again as she yanked violently at my hair and I whirled around to glare at her.

"Ow!" I exclaimed "Do you have to yank so hard?"

Amy returned my glare. "Don't you dare argue with me, Lee. Just be glad that I don't make you wear dresses like this every day."

I sighed and turned back to the mirror before me. I was still in the dress from before, since I refused to put on the red one until it was absolutely necesary.

After what felt like a lifetime, Amy stopped her attack on my hair. She stepped back and grinned.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, and she grinned mischievously. "Now it's time for the dress."

I groaned and stood up. _Just get this over with._

Amy pulled the dress off of the hanger and went to help me into it, but I grabbed the dress and pushed her away.

"Amy, I can dress myself." I said, rolling my eyes.

Amy crossed her arms and sighed, waiting for me to put it on. I simply blinked at her.

"Um…" I said slowly. "Are you going to…turn around?"

Amy just glared at me before turning around. I quickly slipped the dress on over my body. When it was on, I cleared my throat.

Amy turned around and grinned as she saw the dress. She squealed with joy.

"All done!" She exclaimed.

Dawn and Laura ran in from the bathroom. They had been getting it ready for my 'makeover.'

"Oh my, she's gorgeous!" Laura exclaimed. Dawn nodded her head in agreement.

"You look very nice, Miss." She said softly.

Laura grabbed my arm and dragged me into the bathroom.

"Come, it's time to get you all made up!"

I groaned and allowed them to put all sorts of powder on my face. I endured this only because I knew it would be their only chance. I mean, it's not like I'd be staying here very long, and even if I did, there was _no way _that they were getting me to do this again.

So I let them have their fun, and when they were done, I was allowed to look in the mirror.

After close examination, I came to the conclusion that the girl in the mirror was not me. First off, I looked young and my features were undefined. The girl, or should I say, Lady, in the mirror had sharp features and a mature look to her. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders in straight layers. I played with my hair, letting my fingers weave through the silky strands. I'd never had straight hair before.

I stood up and looked at the dress. Now that it was on my body, it wasn't quite as bad as I originally thought it would be. Yes, it was a little tighter than normal, and it showed a little more than I was used to, but for a one-time thing, I could deal with it.

Amy approached me. In her hands were a pair of silver heart earings, a pearl necklace and bracelet to go along with it.

She shoved them in my hands. "Put these on." She demanded.

I took the earings out of her hands first. I carefully placed the earings into my ear. I didn't currently have earings on. I had gotten my ears pierced two years ago when Red gave me a pair of earrings.

_"Here, I got you something," Red said with a grin. He had one hand behind his back._

_I gave him a wary look. "What is it?" _

_He brought his hands to the front. In his palm was a simple pair of small diamond studs._

_"They're small," he said as he placed them in my hand, looking me in the eyes, "but when you think about how small they are, just remember how much bigger our love for each other is."_

I had been flatered. No one had ever given me such a beautiful gift before. After we stopped dating, I had taken them off, but I had still put them back in every few weeks to keep the holes from closing up.

I grabbed the necklace and bracelet out of Amy's hand, but I didn't move to put them on. I just stood there and stared at them.

"Come on, Lee, you're going to be late." Amy sighed.

I gave her a sad look. "Amy, I already have a necklace and bracelet on."

Amy blinked at me. "So take them off."

I shook my head as my hand went to the locket at my throat. "No," I stated firmly.

Amy sighed. "Fine, don't wear these. I don't care."

We all stood there akwardly. No one moved, and no one spoke.

Suddenly, I had a brilliant idea. I grinned.

"Why don't we play would you rather?" I asked.

The girls simply blinked at me. When they realized I was serious, they look at each other, but still, none of them spoke.

Finally, Dawn cleared her throat. "Sure," she said softly before smiling up at me, "it's a great way to get to know each other better."

So we all sat down in a circle on the floor, going around and asking each other strange questions. The girls mostly asked the normal questions, like _would you rather eat nothing but cake for the rest of your life or never eat cake again? _but I enjoyed the stranger ones, like _would you rather be trapped on a desert island for the rest of your life or be forced to live in a tree with the monkeys for the rest of your life. _

"Lee," Dawn began, "would you rather marry a poor man who loves you with all of his heart, or a rich man who ignores you, but gives you whatever you want?"

That was an easy question. I cleared my throat. "I would rather be loved fully and completely by a man that I love than be ignored by the man that I love. I don't care about money."

"A lot of women say they don't care about money, but they often don't mean it." Said a voice from behind me.

I whirled around and saw Kai leaning against the door. I met his gaze and cleared my throat.

"I will not marry a man because of the amount of money in his pocket. I will not deny that it is nice to know that your man can provide for you and can give you anything you would ever need or want, but just because a man can't do that for me doesn't mean I won't love him."

Kai seemed to search my gaze for any clues that I was lying, but he obviously found none. His face broke out into a grin and he stepped into the room.

"Well, Miss Lee, are you ready for our date?" He teased, offering me his arm.

I almost didn't take his arm, but a glare from Amy told me to.

I grinned at him. "Of course, Prince Kai."

I suddenly remembered a different day, talking to a different person, but with the same teasing.

_"Fine, then, should I wait here, Miss Martin?" I teased her. She suppressed a laugh before nodding. "Yes, Miss Smith, I'll go tell Lady Miller you've arrived."_

That had been the day I sighned up for the Selection. Fiona had been at work as a maid for Kaydee Miller and I was dropping off a painting. _I should've talked to Fiona before I left, maybe then she wouldn't be so angry with me. _

I shook the thought of her from my mind. I would write her a letter later, but right now, I had a date with Kai.

* * *

**So...what did you think? **

**I expected to get to Lee and Kai's date, but I wanted some Lee-and-her-maids bonding time, and it went a little long.**

**Did any of you catch the reference to _Cursed_? If you did, put it in a review! I'll give a shout-out to the first person to see it, and I'll tell you what it was in the next chapter.**

**Also, I know that Amy's character kind of comes off as a bitch, but she's not. She just gets frustrated with Lee and her refusal to wear anything nice. She's not a bad person, I promise.**

**Review :3**

**~Umbreon89**


	10. Lonely as a Star

**Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for...**

**Lee and Kai's date!**

**I'm a little bummed that no one found the _Cursed _reference, but whatever. It was when Lee and Kai are talking about whether or not it mattered to them if a man had money or not. In _Cursed, _Brand asks Lilly whether or not money matters to her in a relationship. Ever since I read that scene, I've always wondered how I would answer that question, so i put it in the story.**

**I enjoyed writing this chapter, and every time I write about Lee and Kai, it makes me ship them even more :3**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass. The characters are mine, and Athenachild101's got a watermark on Sayde :3**

* * *

All throughout our date, Fiona stayed on the edge of my mind. _Go away, _I thought, but she refused to be pushed aside.

Apparently, Kai had noticed. He brought me to see some movie, but I couldn't tell you the name of it if you held me at gun point.

"Lee? Lee, are you alright?"

I snapped back to reality. After the movie, Kai had brought me into the gardens to sit and talk. We were currently sitting on the edge of the fountain.

I blinked a few times before answering. "Yeah…I'm just a little…distracted, I guess."

Kai gave me a curious look. "Distracted? By what?"

I sighed and leaned back. I looked up at the stars, tracing the pictures they made with my eyes.

I decided that it must be lonely, being a star. You could see so much, and all of your friends were right there, but you could never go to them.

I looked into Kai's eyes as I spoke. "My…my friend, her name is Fiona. She's a Six, and…all she wanted was to get into the Selection. I didn't get the chance to speak to her after I got chosen, and now she's mad at me." I sighed and leaned forward, putting my head in my hands. "I-I know what it's like to lose a friend over a boy," I choked out, tears falling down my face, "and I never want it to happen again."

Kai was silent. I looked up at him, and he looked at me with sympathy.

"What was his name?" He asked quietly.

I gave him a questioning glance. "Who?" I said hoarsely.

He blinked. "The boy. The one that you lost a friend over."

I looked away. I closed my eyes and pulled myself together. I sat up straight and cleared my throat before I launched into my story.

I told him everything. I told him how Sam and I had been so close, and when Red came into our lives, we always thought the three of us would be inseparable. I told him about Sam's crush on him, and how she would spend hours gushing over him. I told him about how he told me how he felt, and how I kissed him. I told him how we dated for three months before Sam found out. I told him about the horrible look in her eyes as she told me that I wasn't her friend, and how I didn't talk to Red after that.

When I was done, Kai was silent. I let what I told him sink in, and I took a shuttering breath. I had never told anyone that before. The only people who had known were Sam, Red, and I. I never even told Fiona.

I looked up at him and met his gaze. "I lost Sam because of Red," I said, looking away, "and I don't know if I can bear losing Fiona too. She's the only person I have left."

Neither of us talked for a while. Neither of us dared to break the silence, until he grasped my hand in his and forced me to look up at him.

"You have me," he said softly.

As I searched his eyes, I allowed myself to believe it, if only for a swift moment. I saw what would happen if he chose me. I saw us, standing together, laughing. I saw us kissing, and saw him telling me, over and over again, about how much he loved me.

But it wasn't true. I was just one girl out of 50. What were the odds that he would pick me?

As that dawned on me, I looked away and laughed, dropping his hand. "You know, you shouldn't give people false hope like that."

I felt him flinch at my words, but I didn't care.

"No, Lee, I'm not-"

"No, stop," I interrupted. I stood up and looked at him, and he seemed to see how angry I truly was.

"Kai," I started, "there are 49 other girls here. They are all prettier than me, and all of them come from a higher caste than me. I have the lowest chance out of everyone here, Kai, so don't give me false hope."

I turned my back on him and looked back up at the stars, and suddenly, I understood how lonely they are. They are taunted by their friends. They see their friends, and they're _so close, _but not close enough, and the frustration is enough to make them explode into a supernova. _I understand, _I told them.

I heard Kai walking up behind me. "Lee, please, listen to me," he begged.

For some reason, I listened. I guess I liked him too much to ignore him.

"Lee," he started, "of all the things you just said, only one of them is true. There are 49 other girls here. 49 other girls, who are, in your words, 'prettier' than you, but if they have a better chance with me, then _why did I pick you to be here with me tonight?" _He asked.

It must have been the sincerity in his eyes that made me believe him. I felt the tension leave me, and apparently, Kai saw it too. He reached out a hand to me, and I took it.

He led me back through the castle with my hand in his. We passed by other girls, and I saw them whispering to each other and glaring at me, but I didn't care.

When we reached my door, we stopped. He turned back to me, still playing with my hand. Neither of us dared to speak.

Finally, I broke the silence. "I-I'm sorry," I said softly.

Kai just smiled softly at me, and to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me into a hug.

"It's alright, I forgive you."

I was stiff at first, but then I loosened up and hugged him back. He released me and searched my gaze. I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"We should do this again," he said softly, "except next time, maybe we can try to enjoy ourselves."

I grinned at him. "That would be a wonderful idea, your highness." I teased.

"Until next time, Miss Smith."

As he walked past me, he leaned in and whispered, "you still have me. Don't forget that."

He continued on, walking away, and I stood there, watching.

When I opened the door, my maids pretty much attacked me.

"How did it go?"

"Was it romantic?"

"Did you kiss?"

I laughed at their intense questioning. "It went well, and it would've been romantic if I didn't spend half the time staring off into space and screaming at him."

They gasped and stared at me. "You yelled at Prince Kai?" Amy exclaimed.

I chuckled at the look of horror on their faces. "Well, I didn't raise my voice, but I wasn't exactly the kindest person."

Apparently, that wasn't much better.

Finally, Dawn broke the silence. "So…you _didn't _kiss?" She asked.

That was the last straw. I threw my head back in laughter, and they joined me. Soon after that, we were all either on the floor or leaning onto something for support.

"God, Dawn, this was our first date. I've known him for one day, we did not _kiss._" I chuckled once everything had died down.

They interrogated me on everything that happened on the date, but I didn't tell them much. I just told them how we had gone to see a movie and then went to the garden. They pressed me for more, but I wouldn't tell them.

"Okay, I have to do something now. Is there any stationary?" I asked.

Laura went and brought me a pencil and paper. I sat at the little desk in the room and began my letter.

_Dear Fiona, _

_I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to talk to you sooner. I wanted to; I really did, but I was so busy. People kept coming to my house to talk to me, and frankly, it was exhausting._

_Fiona, please, don't be mad at me. I can't lose you. I know what it's like to lose a friend, Fiona, and I can't do it again. I know what it's like to be a star, and I've been so close to becoming a supernova. Please Fiona, you're my best friend, and I can't lose you._

_Your friend,_

_Lee._

When I was done, I folded it up and put it in the envelope, but I wasn't done yet. I picked up another sheet of paper, and I began to draw.

It took me hours to finish my drawing. Amy, and Laura had long ago gone to bed. I didn't know where they slept, I just knew that one of them had to sleep in my room every night. I argued with them, telling them that I didn't need anyone to stay here with me, but they insisted, and eventually, I got too tired to argue with them anymore, so every night, they rotated, and tonight was Dawn's turn.

She stayed awake as I drew, looking over my shoulder every once in a while to see what I was doing. I could tell she was getting tired, so I put down my pencil and yawned.

"Well, I'm beat. I'll finish this tomorrow." I said, standing and heading to my dresser.

After I'd but on my nightgown, I headed into bed.

Dawn smiled at me gratefully and settled down beside my bed. I tried to give her a blanket, but she wouldn't take it.

Finally, I gave up and lied down, waiting for her to fall asleep.

When Dawn's breathing slowed, I knew she was asleep. I got out of bed silently and covered her with my blanket.

I grabbed more stationary and my pencil before slipping out of my room and into the hallway.

When I entered the hallway, I didn't go far. I plopped myself down outside the door and continued my drawing.

It was a few more hours by the time I finished. I glanced at my watch, with I had found in the jewelry box in my room, and groaned when I saw the time. _3:13 AM._

I then looked at my drawing. It was arguably the best I'd ever done. In the middle was Fiona and I. We were five years old in the drawing. We had our arms around each other and were facing away, so only our backs were visible, but it was obviously us. It looked like I was supporting her.

Everything about Fiona was dark. Her short hair, her skin, and even her clothes. For some reason, Fiona liked to wear darker colors.

Where Fiona was dark, I was light. My long hair was light, as was my skin and clothes. I preferred to wear light, warm, happy colors, instead of cool, somber colors.

Surrounding Fiona and I was a dark street. Rain was pouring down on us, and that's when I realized what I had drawn.

I had drawn the day we met, when I brought her to my house after her father kicked her out. I self consciously looked at my bare arms. If you looked closely, you could still see the scars.

I folded up the drawing and placed it in the envelope beside the letter. I sealed it shut and turned it around. I carefully wrote out her address and the castle's return address. I pressed a stamp on it and placed it on the ground.

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall. _I should probably go back in my room now, _I thought, but I ignored myself. I felt myself slowly slide down the wall until I was lying there outside my room. I fell asleep against the cool floor, wondering how Dawn would react when she saw me there in the morning.

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**That date didn't go how I panned _at all._ I planned on them having a really sweet date and getting even closer, but instead, Lee was practically screaming at him. But, whatever, it was sweet at the end. I know that it's a little rushed for Kai to pretty much be saying he chooses her, but I want it to be not exactly love-at-first-sight, but more like oh-shit-I-like-you-better-than-everyone-else-at-first-sight.**

**Review? :3**


	11. Nothing less than Seven Inches

**I'm back :3**

**Not much to say today other than enjoy :3**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection_ belongs to Kiera Cass.  
**

**Disclaimer: The characters are mine**

**Disclaimer: Sayde is Athena's (hope u have a nice trip, Athena!)**

**Disclaimer: I just finished _Eleanor & Park _by Rainbow Rowell (LOVE HER 3) and I'm still emotionally damaged.**

**now, on with the story!**

* * *

_I was sitting in my room. It was noon, and Jason and my mother were out grocery shopping, so it was only my father and me at home._

_I was sitting at my desk, working on one of my best drawings yet. I was very proud of it. It was of Fiona and I, lying down in the grass underneath the starry sky, and I was pointing out the constellations to her. I was so proud of how well I was able to capture the texture of the grass. I was almost done with it when my father burst into my room._

_I stood up as fast as I could. I turned to face him and met his gaze. I cleared my throat, begging my voice to remain steady._

_"Can I help you, Sir?"_

_Instead of answering, he just pushed me out of his way and grabbed my drawing. Instead of congratulating me on such a beautiful drawing, like normal parents would do, he scowled and shoved it in my face._

_"What the fuck is this, Smith?" He snarled, and I couldn't help but flinch._

_I watched in horror as he ripped it to pieces. He pulled back his lip and glared at me. _

_"Only children watch the stars, Smith. Grow the fuck up."_

_I forced myself to stay still. "Y-Yes, Sir." I tried to keep my voice steady, but I failed._

_Before I could even brace myself, he slapped me across the face._

_I wobbled a bit, but I refused to fall. I didn't make a sound, and I refused to let tears fall down my face. Never show weakness if you wish to survive. That's one of the most important lessons I ever learned from my dad._

_"You are worthless, Smith, worthless." _

_After he left, I collapsed onto my bed. I cried myself to sleep._

_"Hey, you, wake up!" A male voice shouted by my ear._

_I flinched. "No…go away, Father…" I mumbled._

_"Oh, for the love of…" _

Before I knew what was happening, someone was yanking me off of the ground and my eyes flew open.

It was not my father who had woken me up; it was Prince Julian.

I ripped myself out of his arms and stumbled before I regained my footing. I looked around, trying to remember why I was in the hallway, when I remember that I had spent the night outside of my room so I wouldn't disturb Dawn.

I looked up at him, and he glared at me with disgust. "Who are you?" He barked.

I held my head high and met his gaze. "My name is Lee."

He seemed to realize who I was. "You were the girl who was late to breakfast, right? The Five?"

I flinched, but I refused to break his gaze. "Yes, I'm the Five who was late to breakfast. The _only _Five who you haven't already dismissed."

He looked at me thoughtfully. "Yes, well, I might have to rethink that. If you don't stop making a fool of yourself, I might have to dismiss you."

I snorted at his threat. "Please, don't do me any favors."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care about you, Prince Julian. I'm not here for you; you're a" I searched for a better word than _asshole,_ "arrogant, conceited prince who has always gotten exactly what he's ever wanted, and I think its time that someone told you that there's more to the world than just your family and the people who serve you. So while you're sitting here, enjoying your fancy food and your fancy home, just try to remember that there are people out there living on the streets, _begging _people for food and money just so they can live. Just try to remember that."

I didn't even wait to see his reaction. I bent down, picked up my letter to Fiona, and walked back into my room.

"Miss Lee-" he began, but I slammed the door in his face.

When I realized how much trouble that could get me in, I opened the door and smiled sweetly at him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, your majesty!" I said with obvious sarcasm. "Oh, _please _don't dismiss me!" I begged.

Prince Julian glared at me, but only for a moment. His expression changed, and I could swear he looked…thoughtful.

"Is it-is it true?" He asked softly.

I blinked at his change in attitude. I looked him in the eye.

"When I was growing up, my brother and I had to go out onto the street corner and beg people for money. We would rotate every day, and when we were young, it sometimes worked, but once we got older, no one spared us anything. You can't say no to a starving five-year-old, but you can ignore a dying teenager."

He was silent for a moment. He seemed to be thinking hard about something. He looked at me, and for once, he looked sincere.

"Well, then, Lee…I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

And with that, he closed the door, and left me alone, wondering what had just happened.

When I turned around, Dawn ran up to me.

"Where did you go? I woke up to the sound of arguing, but I didn't want to interrupt because it was the prince…what happened?"

I looked at her. "Oh, it's nothing, really. I just spent the night outside of the door and Prince Julian was wondering what the fuck was wrong with me."

I heard Dawn gasp, and it took me a moment to realize why.

"Lee, don't _say _that!" Her eyes were wide, and I gave her a confused look.

"What? Fuck? What's wrong with cursing?" I asked.

She just stared at me with her mouth open. She looked around nervously before answering.

"Lee…it's just…it could get you dismissed. No one wants a foul-mouthed queen."

I scowled. "Well, that's who I am. I don't curse in front of people I don't know. I only curse around my friends."

She gave me a surprised look. "I-I'm your…friend?" She said softly.

I looked at her as if she had just asked if I had two heads. "Of course your my friend." I said.

She gave me a big hug. "Thank you, Lee, you don't understand how much this means to me."

I wasn't quite sure what to do. I was never a huggy person, so I just wrapped my arms around her and gave her a pat on the back.

"Um," I held on to Dawn as she hugged me, "your welcome?"

Dawn released me, and she backed away shyly.

"Um…" she said softly, her cheeks flaming red, "sorry about that. It's just…I didn't have any friends before I came here, and it always surprises me when people refer to me as their friend…"

I grinned at her. "Hey, no problem."

We stood there, neither of us daring to speak. We probably would've stayed there for hours if Laura and Amy hadn't barged into the room.

I whirled as they entered. "Well, good morning to you, I suppose." I said, still grinning.

Amy rolled her eyes before shoving something into my hands.

"Go put this on," she ordered. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, look away."

They all turned their backs as I quickly changed into the dress.

I walked up to the mirror and my eyes scanned every inch of my body.

The dress was beautiful. It was a light, sky blue that hung loosely around my body. It had a V-shaped neckline, but it didn't go too low. It bunched up around my waist before cascading out down to my ankles. If I were somebody else, _anybody _else other than me, I would be able to describe it better, but I had the fashion sense of a monkey, so to me, it was just blue.

I looked at Amy and grinned. "Thank you, Amy, it's beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously," she said. We all giggled.

I went to the closet and tried to grab a pair of flats, but Amy wouldn't have it.

"Oh no," she said, pointing a finger in my face. "If you will only wear simple dresses and no make-up, then you're wearing heals."

I sighed. "Fine, but remember my motto: nothing less than seven inches."

They all gasped and looked at me like I was crazy. I laughed.

"Oh, get your minds out of the gutter!" I chuckled.

"And I was kidding! Don't you dare give me seven inch heals, unless you feel like cleaning up my dead body."

Amy rolled her eyes and produced a pair of silver two inch wedges. I strapped them on before attempting to stand. I fell the minute I got to my feat.

"Wow," I said shakily, laughing at my failed attempt. "Next time, tell me that this isn't easy."

Laura grabbed my arm and helped me steady myself. Once I was stead, I pulled my arm from her grasp and walked a few steps.

I did this for a very long time. I just walked around the room, doing random things, and trying not to fall. At first, I would fall every few steps, but eventually, I got the hang of it.

Once I had it down, it was time to do my hair.

Amy sat me down in front of the mirror and looked at my hair.

"Well, you're not going to want me to do anything fancy with it, so can I just do a french braid?"

I nodded my head, and she began her torture, which included brushing my hair to death before pulling the strands into the tightest braid in the world.

On the way out the door, I picked up the letter to Fiona.

"Amy," I said, "do you think you can get this mailed out?"

Amy grabbed the envelope from my hand and nodded.

"Sure, it'll go out today."

I grinned at them before heading out the door and down to the dining room.

* * *

**So..what did you think?**

**This chapter didn't go as far as I intended, but...whatever.**

**Did you catch the Mortal Instruments reference? You probably did. For those of you who didn't, it was the "Nothing less than seven inches" line. That came from the wonderful Isabelle Lightwood :3 (she was talking about shoes, btw)**

**Oh, and I don't know if I'll be able to update tomorrow (well, technically today. It's 12:19 AM where I am). I've got a really busy day. If I do update, it'll be late at night. So expect an update either late Friday night or Saturday morning/night (who knows, maybe both).**

**~Umbreon89**


	12. Forgive Me?

**So, you may have noticed that I changed the name from The Twin Selection to Lonely Star. I hated the name The Twin Selection, and I really liked what I said about the star's being lonely, so...yeah.**

**Also, sorry that I updated so late. I was in a really bad mood and I knew that whatever I wrote would be horrible so I just didn't, and then the next day was fathers day and I had to spend it with my family. Sorry. **

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass. **

**The characters are mine.**

**Sayde is from the lovely mind of Athena.**

* * *

As I entered the dining room, my gaze swept across the room, searching for a friendly face.

My eyes landed on Sayde, and I made my way towards her. I noticed that she was watching Prince Julian again, and I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, Sayde? How can you not see through that?" I gave her a look as I sat down in the seat to her left.

Sayde just glanced at me before looking back at Prince Julian.

"You just…don't understand." She said simply.

I shrugged and dropped the subject.

"You know, Prince Julian found me asleep outside of my room this morning."

Sayde's mouth dropped to the floor as she stared at me.

"What? Why were you sleeping outside of your room?" She asked.

I laughed at the look on her face. "It's a long story," I said before telling her of my night.

We laughed together, and that's when I noticed Prince Julian. He was looking at us. At Sayde, mostly, and the look on his face was one of…wonder and curiosity. It looked as if he were trying to remember something.

I dismissed it with a shrug and looked away. My gaze settled on Kai. I studied his soft features and looked into his aqua blue eyes. I saw his gaze shift to me and tried to look away, but I was too late. I saw him chuckle as I glanced back up at him. He was still watching me. He raised an eyebrow and I looked away as color flowed into my cheeks.

Sayde, of course, didn't miss a thing. She elbowed me.

"You're one to judge. I see you eying up Prince Kai."

This only made me blush more. "Yeah, but Prince Kai isn't an asshole."

Sayde's eyes widened. "Lee!" She gasped, staring at me wide-eyed. "You can't curse here! It could get you dismissed!" She whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, sorry. I've got a dirty mouth."

"No shit, sherlock."

I turned around in surprise as Sam sat down in the seat beside me. She leaned back and smirked at me.

"You've been cursing fluently since I first met you when we were eight."

I rolled my eyes. "That is _so _untrue. I didn't really start cursing until I was at least thirteen!" I argued.

"Don't try to defend yourself, Smith. I remember that day clearly."

I laughed as Sam told the story of when we first met.

_It was pouring rain. I ran through the streets with my body hunched over as I ran through the rain. I dashed under the gazebo and collapsed on the bench with a sigh._

_"Hey, you got me wet!" _

_I turned to see a little girl who looked to be the same age as me sitting on the bench opposite me. She had wavy blonde hair and brown eyes. _

_"Sorry." I said, looking away, obviously not wanting to talk to her._

_Apparently, she couldn't see that I wasn't in the mood._

_"My name's Xyliah but no one can pronounce or spell that so I go by Lee. What's your name? You have really pretty hair. And your eyes. I like you shirt. And your shoes. And your pants. Your face is nice too. Why the fuck won't you talk to me?"_

At this point, I had to intervene.

"Wait a minute, that is _so _not what happened!" I laughed.

Sam shook her head. "Yes, it is!"

I glared at her, still giggling. "I was not _that _annoying." I declared.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yes, you were. You wouldn't stop yapping."

"Well, maybe I talked a _little _too much, but I didn't say, 'Why the fuck won't you talk to me?'"

"Miss Lee, that is improper language for a lady."

I turned around to see Kai standing behind me with a grin on his face.

I gasped at him. "Wait, no, I didn't - we were - I was _not_ -"

I was cut off by Kai's laughter. "I'm just joking with you, Lee. I don't care if you curse."

I huffed and leaned back in my seat, glaring at him over my shoulder.

"Good, because I will stick to my promise."

He grinned. "And I will stick to mine."

We just looked at each other for a moment. Kai opened his mouth as if to say something, but he quickly changed his mind. He cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly.

"Well, I must be going." He said, refusing to meet my eye.

I gave him a confused look. "Yeah, okay," I said. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, you too." He mumbled as he walked away.

I exchanged glances with Sam and Sayde. "Well, that was strange."

They both shrugged. "Maybe it's that time of the month," Sam suggested, and we all broke out into a giggling fit again.

Prince Julian stood from his seat with Kai beside him. He cleared his throat.

"It is time for the ladies to make their way to the women's room. Please follow Queen Lilian."

Sam, Sayde, and I all stood up and started heading for the door.

"Miss Sayde?" Said a hoarse voice behind us.

We turned to see Prince Julian standing there with a pained expression on his face. It was one that I had never seen before, and I doubted that I would see it again.

He cleared his throat and stood up straighter. "Miss Sayde," he said, his voice a little stronger, "may I speak with you?" He offered her his arm.

Sayde gave him a hopeful look, nodded, and took his arm.

Sam and I exchanged a glance as they walked away.

I noticed Kai walk up to a girl, Luna Thomson, I think. He spoke to her softly and she gave him a flirtatious smile. She took his arm and he lead them out of the room.

I felt my heart sting, but I pushed it away. _This is what he's supposed to do, _I argued, _he's supposed to date all of us. You're not special, _but no matter how many times I told myself this, it still hurt.

Sam seemed to notice how hurt I was, because she grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the crowd.

"Miss, where do you think you're going?" A guard blocked our way.

I kept my head down as Sam glared at him. "We're going to the bathroom. Is there a problem with that?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Both of you?"

She rolled her eyes. "_Yes, _it was a long breakfast, and if you don't let us through then you're the one who has to clean up our exploded bladders."

The guard stepped out of our way and let us pass. As we walked away, I heard him grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like _those goddamn girls think they're so special. They're just apes with boobs _and I would've laughed if I wasn't in such a bad mood.

We rounded a corner and Sam pulled me into a supply closet. She closed the door and turned to me.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

I shook my head. "I-It's nothing, it's just stupid." I mumbled.

She glared at me. "Well, it's enough to make you upset, so talk."

I sighed and looked away. "It's just…I saw Prince Kai go out with Luna Thomson, that really bitchy Two, and…I don't know, I just thought he was better than that." I said, leaving out a very large piece of it.

Sam glared at me. "You know, Lee, you can't lie to me. I know that you're not telling me everything, but you don't have to tell me, because I'm actually a very smart person and I am able to understand this." Her tone was harsh. "You're jealous. You thought that Prince Kai really liked you and you really like him and it hurts to see him with someone else."

I realized why she was so angry and I looked up at her. _This is how she felt when she found me with Red._

"Oh my god, Sam…" I said softly. "I'm…I'm so sorry. I really am. I didn't know how I felt about Red until he kissed me…I swear I would've told you, I just-I didn't want you to think I'd been lying to you. We were going to tell you, I swear."

"When?"

I looked away. I didn't have an answer.

"Exactly. You know, you really hurt me, Lee. I thought that I could rely on you. I thought that I could trust you with my deepest secrets, and trust you not to stab my in the back with them, but that's exactly what you did. You know me, Lee. You know that I'm not a forgiving person," she took a deep breath. "So you know," she said cautiously, "how hard it would be for me to forgive you."

I refused to meet her gaze. "I-I'm sorry, Sam. I really am. You're my best friend. I need you, Sam, I really do. Please, find a way to forgive me."

Sam looked away. "You don't need me," she snorted, "you have Fiona."

Sam said Fiona's name like it was the name of some horrible type of cancer that killed you in seconds.

Sam and Fiona had always hated each other. Fiona had always thought that Sam was taking me away from her, and Sam thought that Fiona was too needy and that she was a cry baby.

I shook my head. "No, I don't. Fiona really wanted to get selected, and she's mad at me since I got chosen and she didn't."

Sam sighed. "Lee…I've been thinking about what you did for years. I've been trying to think of a way to forgive you, and I think…I think that I've found it."

I looked up at her. I couldn't help it; I was hopeful.

"Lee, you've changed since I last knew you. You've grown stronger and wiser and the only way for me to forgive you is to believe that you're different from how you were two years ago, that you have changed enough that you would never do that again." She took a shaky breath and met my gaze, searching my eyes as she spoke. "H-Have you?" She asked cautiously.

I nodded, tears streaming down my face. "Yes, Sam, I have changed. Those two years were the worst two years of my life. Worse even than when my dad was still alive. I would prefer to have him beat me-"

I froze as I realized what I had said. I'd never told Sam about my father. Only Fiona knew, since we could relate, but I never thought that Sam would be able to look at me the same way after I told her.

Sam's eyes widened. "_What?" _She gasped.

I looked away. "My father…he used to get so angry." I spoke so quietly that I wasn't even sure if Sam could hear.

I cleared my throat and continued. "He drank a lot, and some night, my mother and Jason would be out and he would come home with a bottle and I knew that the night would end with my crying myself to sleep."

I told Sam everything. I even showed her some of my scars. I didn't tell her about Fiona, though. That was her secret to share.

"Why did you never tell me?" Sam whispered quietly.

I refused to meet her gaze. "Because I didn't want you to look at me as if I were some broken, kicked puppy."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. "You didn't need to bear that on your own. You could've told me."

I shook my head. "No, I couldn't of. If I told you, you would've told someone else. I didn't even have the choice of telling you until after he died."

We were silent for a moment. "Lee, we need to make a promise to each other. From now on, we will tell each other everything. We will not lie to each other, and if something happens to us, we will tell the other. Agreed?"

She stuck out her hand and I grasped it in mine. We shook on it. "Agreed." I said.

* * *

**So, what did you think?**

**I hope you liked this chapter :3 I really wanted Lee and Sam to have a heart-to-heart because I wanted Sam to forgive her so I could start writing Sam, Sayde, and Lee as friends.**

**Also, I had a question for you guys. I write relatively short chapters, but I usually update every day. Would you guys prefer if I uploaded longer chapters every few days? Put it in the reviews!**

**Also, do you guys want to see any of either Kai's or Julian's perspectives? Or anybody else's? Let me know!**

**Part of the next chapter will be in Sayde's perspective.**

**Also, at this point in the story, which pair do you ship more? Lee/Kai or Lee/Julian? Who do you think she'll end up with? Let me know :3**

**Finals start this week, so I'll be getting home pretty early, which means more time for updating! **

**Be back soon :3**

**~Umbreon89**


	13. Di and Jules

**Wow, thanks for all the reviews!**

**A lot of you said that you want to see some of Kai's and Julian's POV's, so I have listened! I have included Kai's POV in this chapter, although I can't really do Julian's yet. I'm still trying to flesh out his character first, but once I feel like he's all out there, I'll write in his POV.**

**As I said, part of this is Sayde's POV. I hope I did it right, Athena!**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass**

**The characters are mine.**

**Sayde is Athena's.**

* * *

**Kai's POV**

As I led Luna out of the dining hall, I glanced back. I saw Lee look away from me and my heart sank. _I'm sorry, Lee, _I thought, _I had to do it. _

And that was true. I couldn't just spend all of my time with her, even though I wished I could. It would seem unfair. _I'll take out as many girls as I possibly can in the next few days, dismiss whoever doesn't interest me, and then I have more time for Lee. _

I scolded myself internally. _You know, its stupid of me to decide now who I want. She might not even want you. _My heart sank as I thought that. With any other girl, I would be sure that they'd want me, but Lee isn't any other girl. She's different. She might not want me. _I should at least look for a backup. _I scowled, disgusted at myself for even thinking that.

"Is everything okay, Prince Kai?"

I turned to Luna. She looked up at me from under her lashes and flashed me a flirty smile. I did my best not to grimace and roll my eyes. Did she really think that I couldn't see through this?

But, instead of doing any of that, I flashed her a smile.

"Oh yes, I'm perfectly fine. I just smelled something bad."

She nodded her head in agreement. "Oh yes, definitely, I smelled that too."

_Oh man, there is no way that I'll be able to make it through this date without vomiting at least once._

As I led her to the movie theatre, she continued to talk.

"Have you seen any of my movies? I've starred in _To Kill a Bluejay, Fatman: The Cake Rises, _and my most famous, _Tetris: The Movie."_

_"_Oh!" She suddenly squealed, and I did my best not to flinch.

"What if we watch one of my movies now? We should see _The Dinner Games_! I'm sure you'll love it!"

I smiled. "That's a wonderful idea, Miss Luna."

As we entered the theatre, I selected _The Dinner Games, _and we started watching.

I ignored Luna for the majority of the movie, but I couldn't help but notice how she leaned forward to show off her breasts, or how she would grab my arm and lean into me at the 'scary' parts.

When the movie was over, I escorted her back to her room.

"Thank you, Prince Kai. I really enjoyed myself." She said as we exited the theatre.

I smiled at her. _You just have to make it back to her room. _

"I did, too." I said simply.

"I'm glad you decided to take me out, Prince Kai. You must've had a fairly disappointing date last night."

I clenched my teeth and gave her a confused look. "Oh? And why's that?"

"Oh, you went out with Lee Smith, right? She's a _Five. _It must have been rather boring."

I did my best not to leave her there. "Actually I had a very nice evening with Miss Lee." I said, trying to hint to her that this conversation was over, but she wouldn't have it.

"Oh, you don't have to try to be polite when you're with me. I completely understand if she was a horrible date."

"I'm not trying to be polite; I'm telling the truth. I had a wonderful date with Miss Lee."

Just as she was about to say something else, we arrived at her room.

"Oh, it seems we are here." I opened her door for her and held it open.

As she entered the room, I cleared my throat. "Oh, and Luna?"

She turned to me and smiled her flirty smile. "Yes, Prince Kai?"

I didn't smile back. I just looked at her in the eye and said, "You are dismissed. From now on, you may only pursue Prince Julian."

And with that, I turned and walked away, heading towards Lee's room.

**Sayde's POV**

Julian was silent as we made our way through the hallways of the castle. Finally, he led me into an empty guest bedroom. As he closed the door, he turned to look at me.

The expression on his face was heartbreaking to see. It was filled with longing and sadness and hope.

I cleared my throat. "Prince Julian? Is there a problem?"

He took in a shaking breath. "Di?" He said simply.

My vision blurred as I felt tears beginning to form. _Di? _That was all he had said, and it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Di used to be my nickname. Julian was the only person who ever called me that, back when we were friends.

I grew up with Julian and Kai. My mother and father were King Andrew and Queen Abigail of Sweden, so I knew the twins very well. They were my best friends since I was four, but I was closer to Julian. We did everything together, but when I turned 11, I realized that he was not only my best friend, but that I'd also fallen madly in love with him. I never told him how I felt, though; I didn't want to ruin our friendship.

When I turned 11, a group of rebels attacked my mother and father. They didn't make it. I was sent to Illéa to live with a family of Threes. I was told never to tell anyone who I was, and that it was best for Julian and Kai to believe me to be dead.

I nodded my head at him. "Yes, Jules; it's me."

Julian ran up to me and embraced me in a long hug. I felt his body jerk with his sobs and I couldn't help but cry.

After what seemed like hours, Julian pulled back.

"Y-You were alive, all this time?" He asked softly.

I nodded my head. "Yes, Jules, I'm sorry. I was told not to tell anyone, especially not you or Kai. I'm sorry. I wish I could've told you, but-"

Julian interrupted me with another hug. "I don't care," he whispered.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. He led us out of the guest room and we walked to his bedroom.

As I stepped into the room, I looked around and smiled. I'd spent so much time here as a child, huddled together with Julian on the bed, staying up late into the night, whispering stories to each other.

Julian hopped onto the bed, and just like old times, I hopped on beside him. We sat there for hours, just talking, telling each other what had happened since we last say each other, but I still didn't tell him how I felt. I had just gotten him back, and there was no way that I was risking losing him again by telling him how I felt.

**Lee's POV**

I sat in front of the easel in my room, holding my lucky paintbrush, as I looked over my sketch. Even though I was technically a Three now, there was no way that I was giving up drawing.

The sketch was of my father, or, to be more exact, of my father's face. His face was twisted into the look he would give me before a beating, drunk and angry. He looked absolutely terrifying, but right now, I couldn't draw anything nice. I could only think of Kai as he led Luna out of the dining hall.

I dipped my brush into the paint and started adding color to the sketch. I painted in his blue eyes, eyes that were always filled with hate and rage, even when he acted like the best father in the world. I filled in his cheeks, his forehead, and even added smudges of dirt on his cheek.

When I finished the face, I moved on to his hair. I painted in the brown chocolate hair that never seemed to lose it's color. I added highlights and shadows to the hair and face, and when I finished the head, I moved on to the background.

I was just finishing up the dark green background when I heard a knock on my door.

I didn't even look up. _It's probably just one of the girls, _I thought. "Come in!" I called.

My eyes widened as Kai entered my room, but I didn't stop painting.

He looked around, taking in my empty vanity, messy bed, my violin and finally, my easel with it's painting. His eyebrows shot up.

"You painted that?" He asked.

I suddenly went still. I dropped my paintbrush and backed as far away from the painting as possible.

"WHAT! WHEN DID THAT GET THERE I DID NO SUCH THING WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT?"

Kai was laughing so hard he doubled over, grasping his stomach, and I couldn't help but laugh. I was laughing so hard I fell to my knees and rolled onto my back.

Kai took a deep breath as his last fit of laughter died away. I sat up and leaned against the bed. Instead of offering me his hand, he simply sat down beside me.

"No, but seriously, did you really paint that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Kai, I did paint it."

He looked at it admiringly. "It's beautiful," he said, furrowing his eyebrows, "but…"

I looked at him. "But what?" I asked.

"Well," he started, "who is that man, and why does he look so…feral?"

I looked away. "It's…It's my father." I said simply, hoping he would understand.

Understanding washed through his face and he gave me a sympathetic look. I scoffed.

He blinked. "What? Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head with a sigh. "No, it's just…I hate it when people look at me that way, like I'm a poor kicked puppy or something. My father was an ass, but he's dead now, and I don't have to worry about him anymore."

He didn't seem convinced. "But if he doesn't worry you anymore, why do you paint him?"

I looked away from him. "Well…when I have a lot of emotions to take out on something, I usually paint, and what I paint tends to reflect upon my current mood. If I were happy, I'd draw, for example, a little girl building a sand castle on a beach, but when I'm angry or depressed…I tend to draw my father."

"What are you depressed about?" He asked softly.

"I'm not as much depressed as…disappointed." I paused for a moment before adding, "in you."

Before he could ask, I elaborated. "I saw you walk out with Luna today, and…I don't know, I just thought you'd be able to see through that."

But he didn't argue with me, or say that I was wrong, or that Luna was a fine person. Instead, he just laughed.

I gave him a wary look. "What's so funny?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Of _course _I can see through that! She's the reason I came here!"

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, she was such a pain! She was so full of herself, going on and on about all the movies she'd been in. She even made us watch a movie that she starred in. The entire time, I was wishing you were the one there. At least you wouldn't have cowered against me whenever something got even a _little _bit scary. You'd think that being in a film makes it less scary for you."

I blinked, still confused. "But…I don't understand. If you could see through that, then why did you ask her?"

He sighed. "Because I can't dismiss someone without going on at least one date with them. It's not an official rule, but…it's my rule. So I'm going to try to take out as many girls as I can in the next few days, and then dismiss people as I go."

I swallowed, looking away. _Of course, _I thought, _you're nothing special. He just wants to get rid of you as soon as possible. _

He seemed to notice my change in mood, because he looked horrified.

"Oh, god, Lee, no…I'm not dismissing _you_!" He exclaimed.

I looked at him in shock. "Y-You're not?" I asked.

He chuckled as he shook his head. "No, definitely not. If anything, you're the only one that has a definite ticket into the 'next round.'"

I smiled at him, and he smiled back. We didn't do much else except sit there and talk until it was time for lunch, and at that time, he escorted me down.

* * *

**What did you think?**

**I thought that this chapter would be perfect for Kai's POV, since you get to see his thought and where he stands with all of the girls.**

**What did you think of Sayde's POV? Did you like it? Do you want more of her POV? I'll probably only do it if a lot of people ask for it. Let me know!**

**Remember to tell me what you thought of this chapter! Tell me if there's anything you want to happen, and I might just do it!**

**I've created a poll on my page for the vote against short chapters or long chapters. Be sure to vote! I've only gotten 2 so far, so I'm just going to make it random until I've gotten a good amount of votes!**

**~Umbreon89**


	14. The Deal

**Hello again!**

**Sorry for not updating yesterday. I was exhausted and I just couldn't write a chapter.**

**I really like this chapter. I've got multiple POV's for you, and you even get to see a little bit of Julian's POV.**

**Also, the majority of you voted for shorter, more frequent chapters, so that's what I will do.**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass**

**I own the characters. They're MINE, NO TOUCHY**

**Sayde is Athena's**

* * *

It had been days since Kai and I had our talk in my room. It was Wednesday, and Kai had gone on 26 dates with 26 different girls since then. Julian had dated the same girls as Kai, as if they were trying to get rid of as many people as possible as soon as possible.

So far, 14 girls have been dismissed by both the Princes. All of the girls that Prince Julian originally dismissed have left, except for Sam. Apparently, Kai liked Sam, so he didn't dismiss her.

So now there were 25 girls left. One Five, three Fours, eight Three's, and thirteen Twos were left. Of those 25 girls, only one of them has been dismissed by a prince, and that's Luna, who was dismissed by Kai.

Sayde, Sam, and I sat in a circle in my room on Wednesday night, right after dinner.

I leaned back. "Half of us are already gone, and it's only been like, a week."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, guess the princes must be in a rush to narrow us down to a reasonable number. I mean, 50 of girls is a lot of people to choose from."

Sayde sighed. "I'm just glad we're still here."

Sam had a confused expression on her face. "That's what I'm wondering about. It only took Prince Julian an hour or so to decide he wasn't interested in me. Why hasn't Prince Kai decided to kick me out? He seems to have agreed with most of Prince Julian's decisions."

I shrugged. "Beats me. I'm just nervous because I'm the only Five left. I was so sure that I'd be one of the first people to go."

Sam and Sayde both shrugged, and we grew silent. We had nothing more to say to each other on this topic.

After a while, Sam cleared her throat.

"Hey, Lee, can you still play the violin?"

I looked at her in surprise. "Of course I can still play the violin."

She rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean, are you any good at it? I mean, no offense, but you really used to suck at it."

I froze for a minute and looked away. The only reason I was so bad at it was because my father made me stop.

I cleared my throat and scoffed at her. "I'm much better now, thank you."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, really? I don't believe you."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll prove it."

I stood up and headed towards my violin. I unlatched the case and picked it up as carefully as I could. I took the rosin out of its little pocket and slid it over the bow hairs.

When I was ready, I stood up straight and held out my violin. My bow hovered over the strings for a moment as I decided what to play. I took a deep breath and started.

I lost myself in the music. My hands were moving up and down along the strings and I forgot about Sayde and Sam for a moment. I forgot about everything bad that had ever happened to me. I forgot about the possibility that I could be leaving here any day now.

As the last note rang out, I heard someone start to clap. I looked up, lowering my violin as I did so, and was surprised when I saw Kai leaning in the doorway.

I grinned and curtsied. "Hello, your majesty. It was an honor to play for you."

I turned around and began to put my violin back. I heard him chuckle as I set the violin back into its case. I loosened the bow and stuck it in too before closing the case and latching it closed.

"It was quite remarkable, Lee. If I had known you were so good, I would have made you play a long time ago."

I turned to look at him. My eyebrow raised up. "Oh? And what makes you think I would've played for you?"

He grinned. "I could've made you a deal."

I matched his grin as I rose to my feet. "Really? Well, what are your conditions?"

He smiled mischievously. "If you agree to play in front of everyone, then you can have whatever you want."

I gave him a wary look. "Who do you mean by 'everyone'?" I asked.

"I mean _everyone. _Friday are your interviews on _The Report. _If you agree, I can set it up so you'll play."

My stomach flopped. Could I do that? Could I play in front of the whole country?

I scoffed at myself. _Of course you can. He wouldn't be offering this if he didn't think you could do it. _

I raised my head high. "I accept." I said simply.

He grinned. "And what do you want in return?"

I thought about it for a moment. _What do I want? _But the minute I asked about it, I knew.

I grinned at him. "My birthday is Saturday, and I want to invite my family and a friend here."

His eyebrows shot up. "I'll have to ask my parents, but it should be fine."

He stuck out a hand, and I grasped his with mine. We shook our hands, sealing the deal.

He smiled at me. "Well, I must be off. It is getting late. You all should start thinking of going to bed."

He turned and walked to the door. He stopped in the frame.

"Sayde," he said, turning back to us, "I haven't had the chance to take you out. Would you like to accompany me to a movie tomorrow?"

Sayde held her head high. "Thank you for the generous offer, but I'm afraid I must decline."

We all stared at her. Kai seemed only amused.

"Well, it was only fair to ask. I'll be seeing you around." He turned back around and walked out the door.

Sam and I rushed up to Sayde. "What were you thinking? Why did you say no?" We bombarded her with questions, but she didn't answer any of them. Instead, she laughed.

"You know, it's a little hard to answer your questions when you give me no time to even breathe before you ask another one."

Sam and I didn't say another word.

Sayde smiled. "I said no to Kai because it would be improper of me to go out with him when my heart belongs to someone else."

Before we could ask her who it was, we heard another knock at the door.

We all turned and saw Prince Julian standing in the doorway. He looked at us and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. Should I come back some other time?"

I cleared my throat. "No, your majesty, you didn't interrupt anything. In fact," I paused, glancing at Sayde and Sam, "they were just about to leave."

They took the hint. They curtsied to him before slipping out the door.

He watched them go with a grin. "I didn't know you were friends with Sayde."

I clenched my fists, trying to remain calm. "Is that a problem?"

He chuckled at my anger. "No need to get worked up, Lee. I was simply curious."

I forced myself to calm down. "I apologize, your majesty. Sayde and I met the day we got here. We became close after that."

He just nodded. "Well, I should probably get to the point. I haven't yet gotten the chance to take you out. Would you like to come with me?"

I blinked in confusion. "Now?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Yes, now. Is that a problem?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not a problem."

He grinned. "Well? Are you going to come?"

I didn't necessarily want to go with him, but I didn't have as much courage as Sayde did, so instead, I nodded and approached him.

"Yes, your majesty, I would be honored to accompany you."

He offered me his arm and I bristled. He chuckled once more and lowered his arm.

"You are a very strange person, Miss Lee."

I smiled at him as we walked out. "Thank you, Prince Julian."

**Kai's POV**

I chuckled as I left Lee's room. Lee and that other girl, Sam I think was her name, seemed horrified that Sayde would deny me.

Of course, I already knew she would refuse. I'd known her all of my life. Julian had come to me and told me who she was.

I'd been pleased to find out she was alive, and I was even more pleased to know that she got into the Selection. I'd always known that she liked Julian, and now she had the chance to act on it.

As I walked towards my room, I passed by Julian.

He gave me a confused look. "Why are you here? I thought you were going to ask Sayde out."

I grinned at him. "I did, and she refused."

He seemed shocked. I rolled my eyes and kept walking past a very startled Julian.

**Julian's POV**

I stood there long after Kai walked by. _Why did Sayde say no to Kai? _I wondered. _Maybe she likes you, _I thought, but I quickly shook that thought away. I'd known her forever. If she liked me, I would've known by now

As I stepped through the doorway of Lee's room, I was surprised to see Sayde and another girl in there. I racked my brain, trying to remember the other girls name, but I couldn't remember. _Sally? Sonia? Severus? _I had to stifle a chuckle at the last one. _This isn't Harry Potter, Julian. _

I knocked on the door and they all whirled around. I raised my eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. Should I come back some other time?"

I heard Lee clear her throat. "No, your majesty, you didn't interrupt anything. In fact," she paused and glanced at her friends, "they were just about to leave."

Sayde and Sally/Sonia/Severus curtsied to me before slipping out the door. I watched them go. Well, I mostly watched Sayde go. _I wish I could bring her out with me, _I thought, but I dismissed the thought. _Take her out later. Right now, you need to get this over with. _

I grinned. "I didn't know you were friends with Sayde."

I saw her bristle out of the corner of my eye. "Is that a problem?" She demanded.

I chuckled and turned to her. "No need to get worked up, Lee. I was simply curious."

She seemed to calm down a bit. "I apologize, your majesty. Sayde and I met the day we got here. We became close after that."

I nodded. "Well, I should probably get to the point. I haven't yet gotten the chance to take you out. Would you like to come with me?"

"Now?" She asked.

I chuckled. "Yes, now. Is that a problem?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not a problem."

I grinned. "Well? Are you going to come?"

I could see her hesitate, and I then knew that she didn't want to go on a date with me any more than I wanted to go on a date with her.

"Yes, your majesty, I would be honored to accompany you."

I offered her my arm, but I stopped when I saw her bristled. I chuckled as I remembered that first day. I lowered my arm.

"You are a very strange person, Miss Lee."

She smiled at me as we walked out. "Thank you, Prince Julian."

* * *

**What did you think?**

**I didn't really expect any of this to happen when I started the chapter, but it all kind of just happened, so...yeah.**

**And I'm really excited about Lee and Kai's deal. I've been looking for an excuse to get Fiona to the castle, and now I think I've found it :3**

**If you haven't guessed, the next chapter is about Lee and Julian's date. It will be on and off in both of their POV's, and I'm really excited to write it!**

**Remember to review! Tell me what you think of the story, and what you think will happen in the future!**

**Till next time!**

**~Umbreon89**


	15. Date with the Devil

**I'm back!**

**I'm almost done with finals! *Jumps for joy* I have my spanish final tomorrow, and then I'm done!**

**I don't know if I'll be posting much on the weekend. I always say I will and then I never do, but I hope to get a few chapters done!**

**Anyway, this chapter is about Lee and Julian's date! Some of you might be a little disappointed with the outcome...sorry!**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass.**

**I own the characters.**

**Sayde is now, and always will be, Athena's**

**P.S. Have fun on vacation, Pretzel Poptarts!**

* * *

I followed Prince Julian through the halls. He weaved his way through the castle, always knowing where to turn. _I'll never figure this out, _I thought.

Finally, he stopped at a door. Two guards were standing guard at the door, and they bowed to him as he approached. Prince Julian nodded to them before leading me through the door.

I smiled as I recognized the garden. I took a deep breath of the cool night air and sighed as my gaze swept across the garden.

I heard Prince Julian chuckle. I looked over my shoulder at him. He grinned at me as he caught my eye.

"I figured you would prefer to be here than in a movie theatre."

I grinned back at him. "Well, you were right."

He looked forward again and started walking towards the center. There was a huge fountain right in the center, spewing water out from the top and into a little pool at the bottom. The entire edge of the fountain was a bench, so Prince Julian sat down. I followed him and sat down beside him.

He turned towards me. "Well, Lee, I wish I could remember what you told me about yourself that first day, but there were so many girls, and I couldn't possibly remember everything they said, so why don't you tell me again."

I hid my annoyance with a smile. _You don't remember because you weren't paying attention. _

I cleared my throat. "Well, I've lived in Rosewood all my life. I'm a Five, so I specialize in painting, but I also enjoy the violin. My family never really had much money, but my mother always insisted that my brother and I get a good education."

**Julian's POV**

She looked me in the eye as she finished. I raised my eyebrow.

"That's it? Come on, there has to be more to your life than that."

She shrugged. "Not really."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, well, what about friends? What's your brother like?"

"Well, I really only had two friends growing up. One was Fiona. I met her one night when I was five. She was-" She paused for a moment before continuing. "She was out for a walk and she got lost, so I brought her home with me for the night. We became really great friends after that."

I could tell she was lying, but I let it slide.

I raised my eyebrow. "You said two friends. Who's the other?"

"The other friend was Sam. Samantha Green. She's actually here. She was the other girl from Rosewood to be chosen. You dismissed her on the first day."

I winced as I thought of that. I felt a little bad about that, but I didn't have a choice. I needed to start narrowing down my choices. I mean, _fifty girls? _How in the world did anyone expect me to have time for fifty girls?

My eyes widened as I realized something. _Samantha Green. _She's the other girl who was with Lee and Sayde.

She cleared her throat and continued. "We were really close for a long time, but then one day…"

**Julian's POV**

I gestured for her to continue. "but one day…? What happened?"

She looked away. I listened as she told me the story with Red._Why is she telling me this? _I wondered. _I thought she hated me. Why would she want to tell me this stuff?_

"So you and Sam are good now?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, and I'm glad. You have no idea what its like to lose your best friend. It was horrible. I suddenly felt as if I had nothing, and…" She paused, seeming as if she was searching for the right word.

"And you were all alone in the world?" I finished for her.

She looked at me in surprise. "How did you know?"

I gave her a sad smile. "You're not the only one who has lost someone before."

She didn't say anything to me. She searched my eyes, her brows furrowed in confusion. She looked as if she were trying to figure something out.

**Lee's POV**

I searched his eyes, looking for some clue that this wasn't really him, that he's just pretending to be all kind and sweet. _This can't be the same Prince that I've been around for a week, _I thought, but there was nothing in his eyes.

He cleared his throat, and I snapped out of it. "Sorry," I mumbled.

He chuckled. "It's quite alright. May I ask what you were looking for?"

I gave him a curious look. "It's just…I don't know. I mean, no offense, but you normally seem like a-" I searched for the right words.

"Conceited asshole?" He asked.

I chuckled. "Well…yeah, I guess."

He chuckled with me. "Yes…I wasn't always like that, you know. I used to be…kind and caring, like Kai, but…when I lost my friend…I changed. But now…well, lets just say, I'm over it."

I watched him for a really long time. He looked down at his hands, turning them over and inspecting them.

After what seemed like hours, he stood. I stood with him.

He smiled at me. "That was very enjoyable, Lee. I hope we can do it again sometime."

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. "Well, Prince Julian, actually…I don't think I can." I said, before I lost my nerve.

He seemed surprised. "Oh? And why is that?" He asked.

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "Prince Julian, I don't feel…romantically for you, and it would be wrong of me to allow you to continue to take me out. It wouldn't be fair to you, so I thought I should tell you."

He watched me for a moment before he grinned. "Got your eye on my brother, then?"

I blushed and looked away. He chuckled.

"Well, Lee, who says we have to be on a date to spend time together?"

I looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Oh, well, there's this thing called a _friend. _You see, when _friends _wish to spend time with each other, they go somewhere together, and they don't have romantic feelings about it."

I blinked, and when what he said sank in, I laughed. "Prince Julian, are you asking me to be your…friend?"

He smiled at me. I real, genuine smile. "Yes, Lee, I am."

I smiled up at him and stuck out my hand. "I would be honored to be your friend, Julian."

He grabbed my hand with his and we shook on it.

He led me back up to my room. I opened my door before he could do it before me. I turned and looked back at him.

"Well, Lee, I hope we can spend more time together, now that we're _friends._"

I grinned. "Yes, that would be lovely."

He smiled. "Well, I guess I should probably dismiss you then, right?"

I chuckled. "Yes, that would probably be wise."

He chuckled with me. "Well, consider yourself officially dismissed. Goodnight, Lee."

He turned and walked away. As he walked away, I called after him. "Goodnight, J!"

I saw him chuckle as he heard my nickname for him. I smiled as I closed the door.

**Julian's POV**

I chuckled as I heard her yell after me. _J, that's a new one. _Sayde had always called me Jules, and when we were joking around, Kai sometimes called me Julius, but no one ever called me J.

As I made my way back to my room, I smiled. I'd never had a real friend before. I'd been friendly with the Princes and Princesses from other countries, but I'd never really considered them friends, and Sayde didn't count. I never thought of her as a friend. I'd always wanted to be more with her, but I'd never done anything about it because I knew it wouldn't work.

As I slept that night, I thought about my new opportunities. I had a friend now. I had a chance with the girl I've always wanted. What more could I want?

* * *

**So...what did you think?**

**I know a lot of you wanted Lee and Julian together, but that was never the plan. Sorry! I'd started shipping it myself, so I had to put an end to that possibility before I changed my mind. I have someone else for Julian. **

**Ugh, the more I think about it, the more I ship Leelian. Maybe I'll write a little spin-off of this with Leelian (a fanfiction of a fanfiction!)****  
**

**If I were to write a spin-off with Leelian, would you want to see it? Let me know!**

**Tell me what you thought of the chapter and the story in general. Who do you think will end up with who, and what do you think my plans are for the future? **

**~Umbreon89**


	16. The Only One

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry I didn't update last night - I was exhausted and didn't trust myself (like always) to produce something good. **

**Well, I've got something for you today! I really liked this chapter...you'll see why!**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass.**

**I own the characters.**

**Athena's the brilliant mastermind behind Sayde.**

* * *

The next morning, I made my way down to breakfast in a sapphire blue dress. I sat down next to Sayde. She gave me a nervous smile. I gave her a weird look but ignored it. After a few minutes of silence she cleared her throat.

"How was your date with Julian?" She asked nervously.

I burst out in laughter. "_That's _what you're so worried about?"

She looked down at her hands and said nothing.

I chuckled. "Sayde, you don't have to worry about that. I told Julian that I wasn't interested in him and he dismissed me. We're just friends now."

She gave me an incredulous look. "Seriously? How'd that conversation go?"

I went on to tell her about our conversation. When I finished, Sayde laughed.

"Well then, what do you say?"

I blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "You've been saying how horrible Julian is this whole time, and now you see that I'm right!"

I laughed. "Yeah, he said that he'd lost someone a long time ago and he's finally 'gotten over it,' whatever that means."

Sayde paled. She gave me a shaky smile. "I-I've got to go to the bathroom."

She got up and I could see that she was visibly shaking. I stood up with her and put my hand on her arm.

"Sayde, you look like you're going to faint. Let me come with you."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, its fine, really."

I gave her a look. "I'm coming with you, and you can't make me stay here."

She sighed and let me walk with her out of the dining room and into the ladies room.

She leaned against the counter. She ran her hands under the water, waiting until she regained her balance. I stood there in silence, waiting for her.

When she finished, she turned off the water and turned to me.

"Thanks, Lee…I really appreciate it."

I grinned at her. "What else are friends for?"

She smiled, but didn't laugh.

"Sayde," I started, "what happened back there? I mentioned Julian's old…friend or whatever, and you freaked out."

Sayde looked me in the eyes. It was as if she were searching for some sign.

Finally, she sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you, but it's a long story…"

I stood there as Sayde told me her story. How she was the Swedish princess and how she was good friends with Julian and Kai and she had to go live with a new family when her parents died. She told me how Julian and Kai always thought she was dead and she only just told them that she was, in fact, the same Sayde they knew as a child. Finally, she told me how she's in love with Julian and has been for years.

When she was done, I simply stared at her. I looked at her, waiting for her to laugh and say "fooled you!" but it didn't come.

I took a deep breath. "Is…Is that true?" I asked.

She nodded. "Every bit of it."

I stood there for a moment longer before I broke out into a grin. "Sayde, this is great!"

She gave me a look. "How?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sayde, you said that the only reason you never told Julian how you felt was because you knew he couldn't go out with you since it wasn't the Selection, but now it is!"

She sighed. "Yeah, but…I don't think he likes me."

I rolled my eyes. "You're being ridiculous. Of course he likes you. Sayde, the other day, when he asked me out after you guys left, he was watching you leave. And he asked me about you. He said how he didn't know we were friends. Sayde, he likes you, so go tell him!"

Sayde just smiled at me. "Oh, fine, I'll tell him."

I squealed in delight and hugged her. "Yay! Now come on, we're going to be late for breakfast!"

We got back to breakfast just in time. When breakfast ended, when all of the girls were heading towards the woman's room, I watched as Sayde approached Julian. She said something to him and he nodded, leading her out of the room. I grinned and started heading for the woman's room.

**Sayde's POV**

I wish I could say that I was calm as Julian led me through the hallway, but that would be the biggest lie in existence. I was _freaking out. _I had to wipe my palms off on my dress like 10 times.

When Julian finally led us into his room, he went and sat down on the bed, like always, but this time, instead of sitting down beside him, I just stood there awkwardly.

Julian seemed to realize that this was more serious than just a chat between friends, because he frowned at me.

"What's wrong, Sayde?"

Before I could lose my courage, I took a deep breath and said it.

"Julian, I'm in love with you."

**Julian's POV**

My heart was pounding harder than I thought was physically possible.

When I didn't respond, she started talking so fast.

"I've loved you for years but I was too afraid to tell you and I knew that it wouldn't work because it wasn't the Selection and I thought I would never make it into the Selection but I just _had _to tell you so-"

Before she could say another word, I was there, kissing her. She froze for a moment before she kissed me back. My eyes closed and I held her tight.

After what seemed like hours of kissing, I finally pulled back and rested my forehead on hers. "I love you, too, Sayde."

**Lee's POV**

"Hey, Lee!"

I turned around and saw Kai heading towards me. My heart skipped a beat, but I remained calm.

I curtsied to him. "Hello, your majesty, how may I help you?"

He chuckled. "Lee, would you like to go on a date with me?"

I smiled. "Yes, Prince Kai, I would be delighted to go on a date with you."

He grinned and offered me his hand. Not his arm, but his hand. I smiled and took it as we walked out of the dining room.

As we walked through the halls, we were silent, but then Kai cleared his throat.

"So, I heard that Julian dismissed you. How did that happened?"

I chuckled. "It was a mutual agreement. We both said that we weren't into each other, and so we're just friends now."

He smiled. "Well, it's good to know that I don't have any competition, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I guess so, but I can't say the same."

He looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

I gave him a look. "Kai, I am one of 24 girls that you have not yet dismissed. My chances are still low."

He looked me in the eyes. "Maybe there are still 23 other girls," he said, "but you're the only one that I've allowed to call me 'Kai' instead of 'Prince Kai' or anything of the sort."

I blinked. I never even realized that I'd stopped calling him 'Prince Kai.' _So…what does that mean? _I wondered.

I didn't say anything to him. We walked on in silence.

Finally, he led me to a big door. He turned to me.

"Are you ready?"

I gave him a wary look. "For what?"

He grinned. "Ever ridden a horse?"

I gaped at him. "You're kidding, right?"

Apparently, he wasn't. Inside the door was a barn. It didn't hold many horses, but it was very big. There were five horses in there.

"Each member of the royal family gets their own horse," he said, walking us through the stables. "The fifth horse is an extra, just in case one of ours gets hurt."

I looked around in awe. "What are those two empty stalls for?" I asked, pointing towards the end.

He smiled and squeezed me hand. "That's for the princess's horse."

I looked up at him. _One day, I could have a horse in one of those stalls. _I shook the thought from my mind. _Don't get too hopeful. _

I watched as Kai tacked up his horse. His horse was a chestnut color with a black mane and tail. He was beautiful.

"His name is Stanley, but I like to call him Stan."

I grinned. "Maybe you could call him Lee."

He chuckled. "Maybe. What do you think, Stan?"

Stan huffed and we laughed.

Finally, When Stan was all tacked up, Kai led him outside. I followed him cautiously.

Kai gestured for me to come over. "Are you ready?" He asked.

I nodded slightly, and that's all the warning I got. He hefted me onto Stan, and I gripped tight onto the saddle.

Kai mounted on behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and grabbed the reins. He made a clucking sound and gave Stan a small squeeze and Stan was off.

We were going slowly at first, but then Kai gave him a kick and we were cantering. I let out a shout.

Kai chuckled. "Calm down, nothing's going to happen to you. Lean back into me, and you'll be fine."

I leaned back until I felt Kai's chest on my back. I savored the moment, because I wasn't sure if this would ever happen again. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. When I did that, it was almost…peaceful.

I let myself forget my worries. I let myself forget that there are 23 other girls vying for Kai's love. I let myself forget that tomorrow, I would be playing the violin in front of the whole country.

My eyes flew open. _I totally forgot about that. _"Kai?" I asked

"Hmm?"

"Am I going to be playing tomorrow night?"

Even though I couldn't see him, I knew that he was grinning.

"Oh yes you are. I've talked to my parents and they've agreed to allow your family and your friend come. You can call them when we get back."

I smiled. On the one hand, I was glad that I could see my family and Fiona again, but on the other hand…I had to play in front of the country.

I tried to let myself forget again, but I couldn't do it.

After what seemed like hours, Stan slowed to a stop. I opened my eyes and we were back at the stable. I slid off of Stan and Kai followed. He untacked Stan and put him back in his stall. When he was done, he closed and locked the stall door before turning to me.

He grinned. "What did you think?"

I grinned back at him. "It was awesome. I'd never been on a horse before."

He took a step closer to me. "Well, maybe if you're good, you'll get to go again."

I took a step towards him. There was barely an inch between us. I looked up into his eyes. I could kiss him from here, if I wanted to.

"I'd like that." I said softly.

He leaned his forehead against mine. "You know, you're the only girl who knows about the stable. I haven't brought anyone else here, and neither has Julian." He paused. "We agreed to only bring…special people here."

I bit my lip. I tried to keep the question in, but I couldn't help it. "I'm special?" I asked

"Lee, you're the most special person I've ever met."

Before I knew what was happening, he was kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. He nibbled at my bottom lip, asking for entrance, and I was glad to let him in. I sighed against his mouth and grabbed his hair. His hand was sliding down my back until it rested on my hip. His other hand caressed my face.

Finally, our kissing started to slow down. Kai pulled away slowly, leaning his forehead on mine. We were silent for a long time, just standing there in the filthy, disgusting barn, holding each other. He pulled back and I opened my eyes. His blue eyes were bright. He was staring into my eyes.

"You're also the only girl who's done that with me." He said.

I smiled at him. "And I hope I'm the only one."

He smiled back at me before pulling away completely. He offered me his hand and I took it eagerly. We walked out of the stables hand in hand. _Maybe I do have a chance._

* * *

**What did you think?**

**I take back anything I've ever said about shipping Lulian! (Lee/Julian) After this chapter, I'm a total shipper of Kaylee (Lee/Kai)**

**Also, I'm really happy with the Jayde (Sayde/Julian) in this chapter. What did you guys think of that? **

**Also, I've never really written a kissing scene before...how did I do? I could really use some advice, so if you have some, let me know!**

**I'm thinking of doing some 'girl talk' between Julian and Lee...would you guys want to see that? I feel like it would be hilariously awkward but really touching too. Let me know!**

**If there's anything else you want to say, tell me! I'll take criticism, complements (duh), and suggestions! Tell me if there's anything you want to see!**

**~Umbreon89**


	17. The Guard

**Hey guys!**

**So I woke up early this morning and decided that, since I had nothing better to do, why not update?**

**So I have a chapter for you. I hope you like it :3**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass**

**Sayde belongs to Athena**

**Everything else is mine.**

* * *

After our date ended, Kai led me back to my room. He took out a phone and handed it to me.

"You can call your family and friend and see if they can come."

I smiled at him and grabbed the phone. I dialed my families number and waited for them to pick up.

"Hello?"

Tears started to form in my eyes at the sound of Jason's voice.

"Hey, J," I said, wiping the tears away with one hand.

"Xyliah? Is that you?" I rolled my eyes.

"Are you _ever _going to call me Lee, or do you plan on pronouncing Xyliah all of your life?"

He chuckled. "Hey, it _is _your name, you know. If you win, people will have to call you Princess Xyliah."

I groaned. "Noooooo, that sounds _horrible._"

He laughed. We were silent for a moment.

I cleared my throat. "J, can you put mom on the phone?"

"Yeah, sure, just a second," he said.

I heard some rustling on the other side of the phone. Finally, I heard my mom's voice.

"Lee? Lee, is that you?"

I smiled. "Hi, mom, its me."

"Xyliah Oliver Smith, were you _ever _going to write to us? It's been a week, and you haven't bothered to write! We're going to have to have a long talk young lady, because this is unacceptable!"

Apparently, my mother was talking loud enough for Kai to hear. He burst into laughter, and my mom fell silent.

"Lee, who is that?" She asked.

I glared at him. "That's Kai-I mean, that's Prince Kai."

My mom was silent for a moment, and before I could do anything, Kai yanked the phone out of my hand and put it to his ear.

"Hello, Mrs Smith, I've heard a lot about you."

"Kai!" I grumbled, grabbing the phone from him.

"Sorry, Mom, Kai is an idiot." I knew it was a mistake to say the moment I said it.

"Young lady, do _not _call Prince Kai and idiot!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mother, I'm deeply sorry. Anyway, I have to ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Can you and Jason come here tomorrow?"

She was silent. "What?" She finally said.

"Yeah, long story short, I made a deal and part of it is that you guys get to come here for my birthday. Can you?"

Kai grabbed the phone again. "Your transportation arrangements have been made. It's already paid for you, I just need you to tell me that you can come."

He gave me back the phone. "So? Can you come?"

"Y-Yes, we can come."

I smiled. "I have to go, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

I hung up. I smiled up at Kai. "They can come."

He smiled back. "Alright, dial your other friend."

I punched in Fiona's number. I listened as it rang. I had to wipe the sweat off of my palms to keep the phone from slipping.

"Hello?"

I took a deep breath at Fiona's voice.

"Fiona…Its Lee," I said, my heart pounding.

She was silent. Then, finally, "…Lee? Is it really you?"

I smiled. "Yeah, its me," I said.

Before she could say anything else, I started to apologize.

"Fiona, listen, I'm really sorry. I really wanted to talk to you before I left, I really did, but I never got the chance. People kept coming into my house, and I couldn't get to you. I'm sorry, Fiona."

Her voice is quiet, but I can still hear it. "I forgive you, Lee."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you, Fiona. But anyway, I don't have much time to ask you this. For my birthday, I'm allowed to bring my family and one friend here," I paused, "would you…would you like to come here?"

I heard her take a sharp breath. "To…To the castle?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Fiona, I really want you here. Do you think you can come?"

She smiled. "Yeah…I can come."

I sighed in relief. "Okay, transportation is provided. I'll see you then, Miss Martin."

She giggled. "I'll see you then, Miss Smith."

I hung up and handed the phone back to Kai. I wiped tears away from my eyes.

He smiled. "Happy?" He asked.

I smiled. "Happy."

o.O.o

The next day, we were all sitting in the woman's room. Sayde, Sam, and I were off in our little corner of the room, away from everyone else.

We were just talking when we see someone approach us. As I looked up, my eyes widened.

I stood up and curtsied. "Good morning, Queen Lilian," I said.

Sam and Sayde jumped up beside me and curtsied. "Good morning, Queen Lilian," they both said.

She smiled at us. "Thank you. Lee, I heard that you will be playing tonight. Have you chosen what to play?"

I nodded. "Yes, I plan on playing an original piece."

Queen Lilian smiled. "Do you think you could play it for us?' She asked.

My eyes widened. "Now?"

She nodded. "Yes, as practice."

I smiled and nodded, pushing down my fear. "Of course, your majesty, I'll be right back."

I ran out of the woman's room and through the halls. As I entered my room, I quickly grabbed my violin before running back down the halls.

"Lee!"

I halted at the voice, nearly falling flat on my face. I regained my balance before looking over my shoulder. It's Julian.

"Hello, J, what's up?"

He chuckled. "J? Why do you call me J?"

I grinned. "My brother's name is Jason, and I call him J."

Julian grinned. "Lee, would you like to hang out later?" He asked.

I smiled. "I would love to, J."

He smiled back. "Wonderful. I'll come get you in your room later."

He turned to walk away, but he paused. "Lee, where are you going?" He asked.

"Oh, Queen Lilian asked me to play for the girls." I said.

He turned back to me. "Do you think I could join?" He asked.

I grinned. "If you stand outside. You know the rules, no men in the woman's room."

He smiled. "Well, I guess that will have to do."

We walked back down together. As I entered the room, I saw that Kai and King Harold were in there, waiting to listen. Queen Lilian must have seen Julian through the door, because she called to him.

"Julian, come in here! We're all going to listen to Lee play!"

I swallowed down my nerves. I glanced at Sayde and Sam. They gave me small, reassuring smiles. It was not very reassuring.

I silently unclasped the case, taking out the bow first. I tightened the hairs and ran the rosin over the bow. I then took out the violin. I plucked it with my fingers, testing it out, and tuning the strings that were out of tune. When it was tuned to my satisfaction, I turned to where the royal family was. I lifted my violin and rested my bow on the strings. I took a deep breath before I started.

As soon as I started, it was like I had forgotten I was there. I forgot about the girls who were watching me, judging me. I forgot about Sayde and Sam. I forgot about the King and Queen. I forgot about Julian, my friend, but I didn't forget Kai.

I looked up and met Kai's gaze. I watched him the entire time I played. Even though the King and Queen were in the room, it was Kai's opinion that I really cared about. It was Kai that I wanted to impress. From the way he looked at me, I'd say it was working.

When I finished, I let the last note ring out. When the note faded away, I lowered my violin and my bow. For a moment, everyone was silent, but then I saw Kai raise his hands and clap. Julian and the King and Queen clapped next, and then the entire room was clapping.

I looked down, trying to hide my red cheeks. I carefully placed my violin back in its case. I loosened the strings on the bow and placed it back in the case. I closed the lid of the case and clasped it tight. I picked it up. The clapping had only just started to die down. I caught Kai's eye, and he grinned at me, clapping harder. I chuckled and look around, unsure of what to do next.

When the clapping finally, died down, King Harold and Queen Lilian approached me.

"That was beautiful, Lee," King Harold said.

I curtsied. "Thank you, your majesty. Thank you for coming to see me play. It is greatly appreciated."

Queen Lilian smiled at me. "Thank you, Lee, for playing for us. It was very enjoyable. I can't wait for you to play tonight."

King Harold and Queen Lilian left. I watched as Queen Lilian showed her husband to the door.

Kai smiled at me. "You really did a great job, Lee. It's not easy to get compliments from my parents, and you earned it."

I smiled. "Thanks, Kai."

He grinned. "Well, we've got to go, but I'll see you later."

I grinned at them. "Bye," I said.

When they left, I walked over to Sam and Sayde. They hugged me, and I almost dropped my violin.

"Hey! Guys, stop it! You know how much I hate hugs, Sam!"

They giggled and released me. Sayde gave me a look.

"How can you hate hugs?"

Sam laughed. "Oh, she _hates _it. Our friend, Red-" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Our friend, Red," she continued, "used to try to hug her every time he saw her. At first, it was just because of who he was. He would hug me and then try to hug her, but when she refused to let him, he made it a game, trying to hug her without her arguing. It never worked."

I flinched, because that was a lie. _It did work, eventually, _I thought, and I was sent back to that day.

_I was in the treehouse, waiting for Red. I leaned against the wall, waiting for him._

_When he finally emerged, I ran up to him. He kissed me, wrapping his arms around me. I kissed him back. They were small, sweet kisses. When he pulled back, he kept his arms around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arms around him. I felt his mouth near my ear. _

_"I did it, Lee," he whispered._

_I was confused at first. _What did you do? _I wondered._

_"I finally got you to hug me." _

_I smiled. "Yes, you did." _

I shook away the memory, hoping that Sam hadn't seen it, but she obviously had. I saw it in her eyes; she had figured it out. Sam was smart like that, and she would be able to tell.

But Sam didn't yell at me, or run off into the bathroom. Instead, she smiled.

"Hey, Lee, didn't you promise me, back when we were like, 10, that if I ever got into the Selection, you would paint a picture of me?"

I chuckled as I remembered.

_We sat at my kitchen table. We were drawing, and mine was obviously better. _

_"Hey, Lee, do you think I'll ever get into the Selection?" She asked._

_I laughed. "Sam, the odds of you getting into the Selection are so slim."_

_She grinned. "Well, then lets make a bet. If I get into the Selection, you'll paint picture of me."_

_I chuckled and stuck my hand out. "Deal," I said. _

_She grabbed my hand with hers, and we shook on it._

I smiled. "Well, I guess that's what I get for not being optimistic, huh?" I chuckled.

I sighed. "Alright, lets go up to my room, and I'll paint you a picture."

"Oh, do I get one?" Sayde asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, sure, whatever, come _on._"

As we left the woman's room, I immediately regretted it. I remembered a conversation I'd had with Sam earlier.

_"Hey, aren't the new draft soldiers coming?" I'd asked._

_"Yeah, I think so. Do you think there will be any hot ones?"_

_I chuckled. "Maybe,"_

I never would've guessed at what we saw outside the door.

I could tell that Sam recognized him too, because she halted beside me. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. Sayde stopped with us, but she seemed confused.

"Lee, Sam, what's wrong?"

At the sound of our names, I knew that the guard recognized us too. His eyes widened.

I glanced at Sam. She looked back at me. Finally, I looked back at the guard.

* * *

**CLIFFY :3**

**Did you guys _really _think you'd get an early chapter for _free_? **

**This is your payment. You now have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happens! **

**Tell me what you think will happen! Who is the 'mystery guard' and what will happen next? **

**I'm sure that most of you can figure it out. Its kind of obvious, I think.**

**~Umbreon89**


	18. Girl' Talk

**Hey guys, sorry that I didn't post yesterday. I had a friend over and it was my middle school graduation so I was busy with that.**

**PLEASE NOTE- _THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. DO NOT MISS IT._**

**Disclaimer: _The Selection _belongs to Kiera Cass.**

**Sayde belongs to Athenachild101 (sadly)**

**Everything else is mine.**

* * *

"Red?" I finally said.

Red looked very uncomfortable. His eyes were filled with so much emotion that I could barely stand it.

When he finally did talk, what he said nearly broke my heart. "That was the first thing you've said to me in years."

I looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry, Red." I muttered softly.

Sam was braver than I was. She met his gaze straight on.

"Red," she started, "I haven't said anything to you since the day I caught you two in Lee's treehouse."

Her voice wavered as she spoke of the treehouse, but she cleared her throat and continued.

"I might as well use this time to say this. Sayde," Sam looked at her, "do you think you could go back into the woman's room? Lee, Red, and I really need to have a talk."

Sayde just gave us a small smile. "Of course. Come get me when you're done."

Sayde turned and walked back into the woman's room, leaving Sam, Red, and me standing there, awkwardly facing each other.

"This conversation is long overdue. It's taken me years of thinking this through for me to finally decide that I forgive you."

Red and I jerked our heads up and looked at Sam.

"I wasn't angry that you two were dating. I will admit that I used to have feelings for you, Red," Sam paused, "but not anymore. I've long since gotten over those feelings. What I was angry about was that you two decided to keep it from me. We were best friends, and I thought I could trust you."

Red looked away. "Sam, I'm sorry. I asked for us to keep it a secret. I didn't want word getting back to my parents that I was dating a Five."

I looked up and met Sam's gaze. "It wasn't only Red, though. I didn't want to tell you because, well, I knew how you felt towards him, and I didn't want to hurt your feelings. Looking back, I can see that it was a stupid decision. I should've seen that you'd be more hurt if you weren't told, and I'm sorry."

Sam pursed her lips. "I accept your apology. As I said, I forgave you a long time ago."

We were all quiet. Finally, I said, "is there any way for us to go back to how we used to be?"

Sam looked at me. "Yes, I think so. I always thought that I'd never be able to see you again without feeling betrayed, but this past week has been…nice. We've been able to hang out, and it was like old times." She looked at Red, then back to me. "I hope we can go back to how it used to be."

Red and I sighed in relief.

Red smiled. "Well, I'll do what I can, but I'm often on duty. I'll try to come find you two whenever I'm not."

I smiled. "That sounds great. I wish we could talk more, but Sam and I have to go."

As we turned to go, Red grabbed my arm. "Wait, Lee, can I talk to you quickly?"

I glanced at Sam. She gave me a nod, so I turned back to Red. I heard Sam walk back into the woman's room.

Red released my arm and stepped back. "Lee…" he said softly, "there's no chance for us, is there." He said softly.

I didn't have to ask him to understand what he meant. "No," I said softly, "I've moved on."

I was over Red. I had been over him for a long time, and now, I had someone else to focus on.

I turned without a word and went to the woman's room.

o.O.o

Later that night, I was sitting in my room. It was a few hours before the _Report, _and I was already dressed_. _I was wearing a deep blue strapless dress that went down to my ankles. I was wearing a pair of wedges that were the same color as the dress. I still wore my locket and the bracelet Jason got me. I didn't let the girls put me in any bracelets or necklaces, because I refused to take these off. I did let them give me some blue dangling earrings to match the dress.

I was sitting in my room doodling when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called.

As the door opened, I saw Julian enter my room from the corner of my eye.

I slid my legs off of my bed and sat up. "Hello, J." I said.

He grinned and sat down next to me. "Hello, Lee." He said.

He glanced down at my sketchbook and his eyebrows shot up. "Well, I had my suspicions before, but I guess now I know."

I followed his eyes down and finally realized what it was I had been doodling for the past 30 minutes.

Inside of the sketchbook was a very, _very _rough sketch of Kai. It wasn't very detailed, and it was far from my best, but it was still obviously Kai.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up. It's not like I have any other option. You dismissed me, so Kai's my only other choice."

Julian chuckled. "Well, speaking of Kai, what _do _you feel towards my brother?"

I looked down at my hands. I opened my mouth, only to close it again.

"Why do you ask?" I finally said.

Julian laughed. "What? You don't trust me? Isn't this what you girls do, sit around and talk about boys?"

I laughed. "Yes, but you're a boy, so it's weird."

He grinned. "Kai's also my brother, so talk."

I laughed. I looked away from him as I thought.

"Kai is…nice. He's sweet, and he seems to like me, and I really like him. He's funny and he seems, you know…real. He doesn't seem like he's faking or pretending just to make people like him. He doesn't try to act differently than he really is, and he speaks his mind. I like that," I said softly.

Julian's grin turned into a huge smile. I gave him a wary look. "What?"

He simply chuckled. "Oh, nothing."

It was obvious that he knew something I didn't. _Maybe Kai's talked to him, _I thought.

I rolled my eyes and nudged him. "Well, enough about me. What about you and Sayde?"

Julian's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head. He swallowed and gave me a nervous laugh.

"What are you talking about?"

I burst into laughter at his failed attempt to keep his cool.

"Oh please, don't even try to hide it from me. I can see, you know. Every time you see her, you completely some out on what everyone else is saying. You watch her walk by. When you came to ask me out, you were still watching her leave. And she does the same."

Julian opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it again. Finally, he spoke.

"I love her," he said softly.

My eyes widened. "Love? You've known each other for what, a week?"

He only gave me a small smile.

I shrugged. _Whatever, _I thought.

I grinned. "She's had her eyes on you from the start. When we first got here, I kept, um…" I looked away. "Just remember, this is back when I still…hated you." I said.

He raised his eyebrow, obviously curious.

I looked away. "Well, I kept telling her how she must be able to see through your act, and see that you're a conceited asshole," I winced as I spoke, "but she always defended you. She always told me that I was wrong, that you were a good person." I smiled. "I can now see why she thinks that."

Julian was quiet. We sat there in silence for a while. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"So…can you really draw that well?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Duh. I'm the best."

He grinned. "Really? Prove it."

So we spent the next hour sitting on my bed. I sat there with my sketch book, and he sat in front of me. He was patient as I sketched him, staying mostly still, although sometimes he would lean forward and try to peek at the sketch, but I always covered it with my hands and told him to be patient.

After his third attempt to get a peek, I growled at him. "Be patient, J. Patience is a virtue."

He raised his eyebrow. "Since when am I virtuous?"

I laughed and he laughed along with me.

"So, do I get a peek?"

I glared at him. "No," and I continued to work.

Finally, when I'd finished, I put down my pencil and massaged my aching hand.

"Alright, I'm done."

The words were barely out of my mouth when Julian snatched the sketchbook out of my lap and started inspecting the picture.

I heard him gasp as he looked it over, and I couldn't help but smile. "What do you think?" I asked.

He looked at me. "This is amazing, Lee. You know, you should give this to my parents. I'm sure they'd love it, and it's a good way to get on their good side. You don't want your future mother and father in-law to hate you."

I laughed. "True. I'll add some paint and give it to them before the _Report_."

Julian smiled and stood. "Well, I should be going. I have a date with Sayde before the _Report._"

I smiled at him. "Have fun!" I called as he left the room.

o.O.o

I sat in my room, with an hour still left to go before the _Report_ started. I'd already painted Julian's picture, and it was sitting in a frame on my canvas, ready to be given to the King and Queen.

I was just lying there, waiting for the _Report _to come, when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in," I called.

Kai entered my room and I grinned. "Wow, lucky me. I get not one, but _two _prince's to visit me in one day!"

Kai halted where he was. "Julian was here?"

Although he tried to hide it, I could hear the worry in his voice.

I laughed. "Kai, we were just talking, I promise, there's nothing going on between us."

Kai laughed, until he saw Julian's painting. His eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "There's _nothing _going on? Are you sure, because I'm pretty sure that's a painting of him right there."

I burst into laughter. "Oh god, Kai, he wanted to see how well I could draw, so I drew him, and then he suggested that I paint it and give it to your parents."

Kai was silent for a moment as he thought over what I told him. Once he was assured that nothing was going on, he smiled. I tried to smile back, but I couldn't. There was something about Kai's stance, about his smile, that told me something was up.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Kai swallowed and sat down on the bed next to me. "Lee…"

His soft voice only made me panic more. "What? What happened?"

He grabbed my hand. "There was…a break in. We caught who did it, and your mother's fine, but Jason…"

My throat tightened and I felt tears behind my eyes. "What happened to him?"

He looked up into my eyes, and it was the sympathy in them that told me all I needed to know.

"I'm sorry, Lee…he didn't survive it."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN**

**I've been planning Jason's death since the beginning. You'll learn more about it in the next chapter, but now, onto my _VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:_**

**So...It's summer, and during the summer, kids often go to summer camp, and some of those kids go to sleep away camps, where they are not permitted to have computers...**

**If you didn't get the message from what I just said, then I'll spell it out for you. I'm going to sleep away camp tomorrow and I won't be back for 7 weeks, so I will be, starting now, on a 7 week hiatus. I may or may not be able to update 3 weeks in because that's visiting day, and if my parents remember to bring up my laptop, I might be able to whip something together.**

**Even though I'll be at camp, I'll still be writing. I'm bringing a notebook and any information about the story that I need, so when I get ****back expect very long chapters daily. I'm sorry that I won't be able to update, but I like camp, so I'm not going to not go because I have to update my fanfiction.**

**See you in 7 weeks!**

**~Umbreon89**


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